A Thousand Falling Stars
by Whispers Of A Mad God
Summary: Before she died, Layla Heartfilia changed her mind and decided to entrust all her Keys to her daughter, Lucy. Raised by Aquarius and Capricorn, she studies the various Stellar Magics for long years before joining Fairy Tail. Thunder God Tribe, Vampires, original keys, Stellar Artifacts, complex Stellar Magic. Not your usual story. Eventual FreedxLucy. Powerful(but not godlike)!Lucy
1. From The Ashes We Are Reborn

**A/N: So there's only two changes to this universe from canon: one, Capricorn's (and all of Layla's Keys) Key was given to her, so Lucy grew up with his influence, and two, Celestial Spirit Magic is a lot more... involved. Basically, there's a lot more to it than just summoning spirits and Urano Metria – lots more spells, equipment, partial summonings, blessings, and other stuff I'll go into later.**

**A/N2: Wow, I wasn't expecting so many people to like this story. I've decided to make this my primary story, so I'll try to keep the updates coming. I currently have this plotted out all the way to Tenrou, so we'll see how this goes ~**

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_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Prologue; From The Ashes We Are Reborn_

_Celestial Spirit World; Unknown Date_

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"It's been a long time since I've mourned a Master's passing," I murmured, manifesting and reclining in a plush chair. The firepit flared to life beside me, flickering with an etherial glow. It provided me with no heat or, perhaps, I felt too cold to accept it. I sighed. "I feel... weak."

"Nonsense, Capricorn," Aquarius snapped, hovering in the air in front of me. She traced circles on her vase, even though it was eternally clean. It was a calming gesture, I knew. I let her be. "It was a sickness. It is not something even the Phoenix could cure. You have no call to be ashamed."

"Rationally, we know that, but..." Cancer sighed, a rare expression of grief on his face. It felt wrong to see anything but joy and amusement on the normally unflappable crab's face. We all, Aquarius included, felt inept; as if we failed out Master.

We had retired to one of my rooms, a large, casual place. The walls were smooth black stone, as if we were in an olden castle. A fireplace was built directly into the wall, and bookshelves containing everything I knew on Celestial Spirit Magic lined the walls. There had to be a thousand books in all, not counting the histories. It was my favorite place, but it did not comfort me now.

My Master was dead.

"So, what now?" Cancer asked. He looked lost, his purpose being stolen from him. It was rare that we had such a wonderful Master. "I mean, our Keys are going to little Lucy, right?"

"Yes, they are," I responded. "She is much like her mother. A spitting image, and not just in appearance."

"She is weak!" Aquarius muttered, rubbing her vase harder. "She knows nothing of our world."

"That is the way it ought to be," I responded, laughing drily. I opened my eyes to look at her. "She is a child, and it is our eternal duty to protect that innocence of hers. And it will be many years before she finds herself in a situation where she will need to be strong. Many years, where many more things can change."

Aquarius narrowed her eyes. "What are you referring to?"

"Her father, Jude Heartfilia, is a shallow man. He will push her aside, because she reminds him of her. She will have no magical tutor, and many hours of free time." I clasped my hands together on my stomach, leaning further into my reclining chair. "I, like our dear Lion, have mastered the art of forcing my own Gate open. I can be her teacher, and raise her to be a proper, one of a kind Celestial Spirit Mage. One who can revolutionize our entire system."

"We will make our Master great?" Cancer asked, his eyes gleaming. His eternally joyous personality began to once again shine through.

"I suppose we can make her mediocre at best," Aquarius wondered aloud. She considered it for a long moment. "Maybe, after a couple years of my tutelage, she can even be considered passable."

I raised an eyebrow, amused by her speech. "Your tutelage?"

"Well of course," she flicked a lock of hair behind her arrogantly. "I'm not going to let you corrupt her alone. Then she'd turn out like _you._ She'd never get a boyfriend, poor thing."

"I see," I responded lowly. I was more amused than offended. Long years of working alongside her has rendered me immune to her attitude. "The more the merrier, I suppose. I'm sure Lucy will be... thrilled."

"Heheh," Cancer laughed to himself, manifesting a set of sunglasses and rising up. "I have... ideas. I will go prepare." He turned and vanished in a flash of light.

"I suppose he will be joining in the fun," Aquarius sniffed. "Don't know what _he_ could possibly have to teach her."

"Plenty of things, I'm sure," I answered her, more to keep the peace than anything. I was a bit leery of these 'ideas' of his, as well. Time will tell. "But back to the question. In the past, we typically let our Masters be. Are you prepared to take the responsibility of going all the way?"

"Of course," Aquarius looked affronted. "We have a chance to make the child into something above and beyond the scum who call themselves Stellar Mages. Do you know the kind of respect I'd get if my keyholder became strong and, stars be praised, _not awful?_ I'll take the oppurtunity, Capricorn."

"We will teach her, then," I announced, relaxing into my plush chair. "We will teach her everything. The spells, the partial summonings, everything. And if she proves true, maybe I'll give her the Gloves."

Aquarius sucked in a breath and looked about to retort, but she paused. She tilted her head to the side. "Maybe..." She spun on her heel and vanished in a flash of light.

"Not that we wouldn't teach any other Master," I murmured with a small laugh, rubbing my eyes wearily. "Really, all they had to do was ask, and I would've taught them the ways of the Celestial Magics. Ask, and say 'please...'" I closed my eyes and breathed in deep. "The arrogance of humans always astounds me. Hopefully, Lucy won't be like that."

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**A/N: Any good? I hope so. The rest of the story will be from Lucy's perspective, and she'll be a bit different – classier, definitely, from Capricorn's teachings, but still feminine and vain, from Aquarius. And with awesome hair, I guess, from Cancer. He always weirded me out.**

**Anyways, the story will kick off from the time she joins FT, with flashbacks to her childhood a bit later on. Hope I did alright.**

** Toodles.**


	2. Shackles of Andromeda

**A/N: Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you for all the reviews and follows and favorites and such! I squealed and fell out of my plushie chair when I saw them. My cat, Lola, was not amused.**

**Here's the next chapter, hope you like it ~**

**A/N2: (3/28/14): Lucy kind of... evolved into something I wasn't quite expecting, and the primary pairing for this story is now FreedxLucy. The romance will pick up come the end of the Crimson Fang arc; chapter ten-ish. I expect this story to be very long, and it will develop slowly.**

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_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Chapter One; Shackles of Andromeda_

_Magnolia; March X781_

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I stood in front of the wide, welcoming doors to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, flickers of anxiety and excitement tumbling around in my stomach. I swallowed, but that did nothing to calm my nerves, or soothe the sudden dryness in my throat. Athena was in her smallest form, the midnight black two-tailed fox laying half-asleep on my shoulder. I rubbed my hands together, feeling the now-familiar chill of the material of Capricorn's gift.

_I sat on the edge of the rooftop of Heartfilia Manor, the place that had been my home since before I was born. It was a full hour past midnight, and I could only just make out the Orchard from the dim luminescence of starlight. I swished my legs back and forth in the cool breeze, the wind calming as it caressed my bare legs. I wore a short skirt and a thin blouse, both black with silver lacing. My blonde hair hung behind me in a loose curtain. The peaceful silence of the night always soothed me when I was upset._

_ "Why would he say that, Mama?" I whispered, my voice carried along the current of wind. I didn't know if she could hear me or not, but I hoped she did. Mama always did believe in a hereafter, and so did Father, but Auntie Aqua and Uncle Capricorn never spoke about it. I sighed._

_ "Open, Gate of the Goat: Capricorn." My voice was soft, barely intelligible, and Uncle's appearance was equally silent. As always, he sensed my contemplative mood. I wasn't sad, not exactly: there had to be something to miss, in order to miss it. I felt... empty. Disappointed._

_ "Is it time, Lucy?"_

_ "I think it is," I replied quietly. I looked up at the Spirit who I saw as an Uncle. My eyes warmed, chocolate orbs softening as I looked up at him. "He won't change, will he? He expects me to, but he won't." I looked down at my lap. "I won't stop practicing magic. You, Aunt Aquarius, and Cancer are far more important to me than he. Athena, too." I smiled slightly as I thought of Vulpecula, the fox spirit, whom I had named Athena._

_ "I understand." And he did, he really, really did. "When are you leaving?"_

_ "Now. I have everything I own stored in the Spirit World, just like you taught me. I have four hundred thousand jewel as well; Father won't even know it's gone." I pursed my lips. "He probably won't even know I'm gone." _

_ Capricorn spoke. "Where will you go?"_

_ "A Guild. Fairy Tail is a decent ways away – they seem friendly enough. And if they don't work out, I'll pack up and leave."_

_ "A fair enough plan." Capricorn paused. "I have a gift for you, to see you off."_

_ "For me?" I looked up at him and smiled, all traces of Sad Lucy gone in an instant. I was far too warm a person to stay down for long. "What'd you get me, Uncle?"_

_ "These," he held out a pair of gloves, black as night, with silver stars embroidered around the palm. I recognized the constellation immediately. "Are the Shackles of Andromeda. I want to give them to you."_

_ I smiled as I accepted them, and slipped them on. They felt cool to the touch. "They don't look like shackles, Uncle," I teased._

_ "Of course they don't," Capricorn returned. I could almost feel his smirk. "Because they've been turned into gloves."_

_ "Obviously!" I stood up, stretching my fingers._

_ "Pool your magic into your hands," he gently commanded. I did as he ordered. "When you've gathered a fair amount, think of an object. Hold the form in your mind, and slowly release your magic. Take a minute."_

_ My eyes were closed, and I fell into the meditative trance that had become second nature to me after the years of Capricorn as my teacher. I no longer felt the wind, or the coolness nipping at the base of my neck, or the soft texture of cloth on my skin. Soon, all I was aware of was my breathing, and then that was gone too. I tapped into my magical container, and felt the power fill me. I guided it out of my core, through my arms, and into my hands. I held the shape of a simple throwing knife in my hands – the kind Capricorn drilled me in the use of, until it became second nature. I released the magic and opened my eyes._

_ In my right hand, black and shining in the starlight, was a perfect replica of my favorite throwing knife._

_ "Very good, Lucy," Capricorn complimented. There was something in his eyes, something about these gloves he wasn't telling me about. "All ready to go."_

I spent the three day trip from the Manor to Magnolia practicing and practicing with the gloves. I can form a throwing knife in just over a second, and a heavier close-combat dagger in two. Knives were the only weapons Capricorn had taught me, alongside hand-to-hand; he was adamant that it would be far better to master one, and with my small, fragile, yet quick build, they were my best bet.

I breathed deep, and prepared to open the doors. I mentally reviewed my clothing choices. I wore a skirt down to mid-thigh, and a tank top over my bra, all of which were dark as night. _When did I pick up Capricorn's color preferences?_ I shrugged the voice away. I also wore a white sweater, with black around the cuffs, which hung off my left shoulder a bit. My shining, blonde hair hung in a loose curtain down to my waist.

Athena hugged tighter to my shoulder. She was black as well, with silver around her paws, left eye, and the tips of each of her tails. She didn't talk, but she could understand me just fine. She shrunk her size to no smaller than a kitten, and hung to my shoulder tightly. Seeing her calmed me down.

I opened the doors to Fairy Tail...

… And immediately sidestepped to avoid a flying, half-naked man.

_How nice._

I ignored him, walking into the guild which was just finishing up a brawl. By 'finishing up,' I meant cowering in fear and crawling under tables to avoid the battle between a redhead in armor and a snowy-haired girl that looked... demonic. I didn't want to call her that though. It seemed rude. I tried to come up with something else but nothing came to mind. Wild? No.

"That was my favorite sword, whore!"

"Why was your best sword so damn fragile? I didn't realize you were so poor, bitch!"

I tuned them out instinctually, never having been exposed to any swearing before. The half-naked guy, who was now near-naked, walked up besides me. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Um, are they always like this?" I asked him, my voice almost drowned out by the red-haired woman's screeching.

"Pretty much, yeah. Their personalities clash, I guess. They're friends underneath. I think. Maybe?"

"Are you asking me?"

"No." He looked at me again. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, by the way."

"Lucy. Lucy Ashley." I lied.

"Here to join the guild?"

"Mm-hmm." I paused. This was really awkward – somehow, the guy became _fully _naked. I've never seen a naked man before. I could almost _feel_ Aquarius laughing at me. "Um, Gray-san?"

"Just Gray, Lucy. Yeah?"

"Are you propositioning me?"

He reeled back, noticed his advanced state of undress, yelped, and swore. _"Why do I always do this!"_ He began to search for his clothes, muttering to himself. "In front of the new girl, too."

"Who are you?" The white-haired girl asked rudely. Apparently, Gray had attracted their attention.

"Lucy Ashley," I stated, as the eyes of everyone in the guild turned to me. I got really, really nervous. "Um, I came to join the g-guild?"

Apparently, that was enough to win them over. Everyone thought I was really cute – _because I am – _and that my stutter was adorable – _which it totally is,_ according to Auntie Aquarius anyways. And she would know, because her boyfriend Scorpio is quite the catch by Spirit standards, and she's a total romantic.

I was rushed over to a tiny man with a fluffy moustache, that I had to restrain Athena from pawing at. He didn't seem to mind, though. He seemed like a nice enough old guy.

"Um, are you the Master?"

"Yes I am!" He said, grinning. "And you said your name was Lucy Ashley?"

"Uh-huh. And this is Athena, she's a celestial spirit. Vulpecula, the Fox."

"Really?" He wondered aloud. He stroked his beard, probably just to taunt my fox. "Haven't had a celestial spirit mage in quite a while, in this guild. Welcome, welcome." He pulled a box from out of his pocket, and grabbed a stamp from out of it.

_Does he carry it with him everywhere?_

"This is our Guild Mark. Where would you like it, and what color?"

_Pink! _I wanted to shout, but I paused. Capricorn said a Celestial Spirit Mage's colors are black and silver, and he always wears black. I wanted to be like him, always have – it was why I always wore those colors.

_Plus, pink would clash with my cutest outfits._

"Black, and on my right hand, please," I asked, holding the back of my hand out. He stamped it and I felt a comfortable warmth spread through me. I smiled.

"The job board is right there," he pointed to a spot to my left, "the second floor is out of bounds," he pointed above him, "and don't seriously hurt any guild members." He smiled at me.

_That's it? Huh._

"Okay. Thanks, Master." I smiled back and walked over to the Request Board. There were several requests tacked onto the board, ranging from waitress work to finding lost heirlooms to bandit problems. I untacked one of the last type and read it aloud to Athena. _"Bandit infestation at Dremadrin. No more than twenty of them. 200,000 J, Silver Key." _Athena nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck. I giggled. "Is that supposed to be a yes, Athena?"

I walked back over to the Master and handed him the request. "Taking a job already?" He asked, surprised.

"Yep!" I smiled at him. "Then I'll be able to find a place to stay when I get back."

"Bandits, huh?" He murmured, reading the request. He glanced at me. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll be fine."

"I see..." He seemed to think for a moment. "I'd like you to take someone with you, just because it's your first time. Everyone does, for their first job."

"...Okay." _If we split the Jewels in two, I'll still be able to pay for a month's rent at a nice place. I still have the money I snatched from Father, also. _"But just one person, I don't think I can split the reward threeway."

"Understood," he said, smiling that closed-eye grin. "Erza!" He called out. "You're taking Lucy here on her first job."

Erza – the scary red-haired woman – walked over. "Yes, Master." She turned to me. "What job did you choose?"

"Bandits in Dremadrin." I said, smiling innocently.

She looked surprised. "Huh. Good choice. Meet me at the train station in an hour, we can get there by noon and speak with the client."

"Okay, Erza-san."

"Just Erza, Lucy," she said, smiling lightly. _She's a lot less scary when the white-haired woman isn't around. Note to self – avoid the two together. _

"Thanks again, Master." I dipped my head and, having nothing to do until it's time to leave, left to explore.

The first thing I did was find a restroom to change in: no way was I going to fight in a skirt, even though Capricorn taught me how. Flashing twenty bandits as I kicked them upside the face was not the greatest way to start my career as a Fairy Tail mage. I found them just around the corner behind the bar, and slipped into a stall. I breathed deep, and reached into the Spirit World, and pulled out a pair of ripped, dark blue jeans.

Storing objects in the Spirit World is very similar to pocket dimensional storage, or Requip. Difference is, we need permission from a Celestial Spirit to let us use a corner of their habitat for a locker. It also costs extreme amounts of magic compared to Requip, making it far less viable mid-fight. But storing a spare set of clothes? No problem. I slipped the jeans on and sent my skirt to the Spirit World, and dismissed Athena as well.

I usually keep Athena out to practice holding Gates open. As a silver key, and one of the weaker ones at that, Athena doesn't cost much magic to keep out in the human world. But I wanted to make a good showing in front of Erza, which meant having my magical container topped off when we went to fight.

I spent the next forty-five minutes exploring Magnolia. As my new home town, it made sense to get used to the layout and the locations of the stores. I made sure to find the train station first, so I wasn't late for meeting up with Erza. I also made note of a wonderful bakery by the park, a library near the center of town, a corner market closer to the guild, and a bookstore by the station. I promised myself a good few hours to look through the bookstore when I got back.

The only store I actually entered was a magic shop. It was a nice place, not too small or too large, probably a family run business. I saw a few bookshelves on the more common magics, typically elemental or blade magics, and I scanned it quickly. There was a book on the different kinds of celestial spirits, but I already knew everything in it. There were also some weapons, but with my Shackles, I had no need for any of them. Finding nothing, I walked over to the counter.

"Sir, do you have any Celestial Spirit Keys?" I asked sweetly. I was too young to flirt with the old guy behind the counter, but I could play off the adorable granddaughter route well enough.

"Maybe, let me check in the back." I heard him rummaging around in a storage area of some kind, and a few muffled curses that made me giggle. Father would skin him alive if he heard such things being said in front of me. "Here's one, a little dusty, but just fine."

"How much, sir?" I recognized it immediately, of course, and grinned happily.

"Ah..." he scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "I kinda forgot I had it, so I wasn't going to make anything off it. Five thousand jewel?"

"Deal!" We made the exchange, and I held onto the key happily as I skipped away from the store and towards the park. I could feel the spirit's joy and anxiety at having a new master. I wondered how long he had been waiting for someone. At last I reached a nice secluded area.

"Open, Gate of the Eagle, Aquila!" She appeared in a flash of white light, easily three feet long, and with a wingspan of twelve feet. She had soft, golden hair, and a shining white beak. Her eyes were a beady black, but gleamed with intelligence. She soared in low circles for a long moment, before landing on the ground, and speaking.

"You have summoned me, Master?" Her voice was cool, feminine, and melodic. I was jealous for a moment, before I remembered I was talking to a bird.

"Yep!" I kneeled down in front of her. "None of that 'master' talk, though. You can call me Lucy if you like. Cancer calls me Princess."

"Princess Lucy it is, then," she said, clearly amused. "I am free whenever. If I need time off, I will tell you."

"Right. What can you do?"

"Scouting, mostly," she sung. "Like Musca, you can look through my eyes, and command me telepathically. I'm also not much of a fighter, but I can swoop down on a human or two easily enough."

"Understood. See you later, Aquila."

Realizing I was very nearly late, I booked it to the train station. I weaved through crowds of people, chanting 'sorry' and 'excuse me' like a mantra. Luckily, the park wasn't too far off from the station, and I nearly slammed into Erza a full two minutes early.

"Hello, Lucy," she said, amused. "I have your train ticket already. Where's your stuff?"

"Stored in the Spirit World," I squeaked out. "It's kind of like our version of requip, but not as useful in a fight."

"Really?" She asked, genuinely interested. I followed her onto the train and into a private compartment. I sat down across from her and crossed my legs. "I've never heard of Stellar Mages doing that. Is it difficult?"

"Not very difficult, no," I replied softly, adjusting the Shackles on my hands. They were still cold to the touch. "There's a trick to it. Not as useful in a fight as Requip, as it costs a lot of energy to do it. And I don't know of any other Celestial Spirit Mages doing it."

"Why is that?"

"Capricorn says its arrogance," I shrugged. "Most of them don't like to believe that their spirits have anything to teach them. Most Stellar Mages just summon a spirit and watch as they fight it out instead. But there's so much more to it."

"That's interesting. Is that why I don't see any keys on you? They're in the spirit world?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "That way they can't be stolen from me."

We talked for some time about magic, and I learned a lot about the magic my new guildmates can use. I found out that Gray, the stripper, uses Ice-Make Magic, and apparently has an actual excuse for his stripping habit. Mirajane, the white-haired woman I saw fighting with Erza, uses Demon Take-Over Magic. There were more names and techniques brought up in the conversation as well, and I was surprised by how diverse everyone was.

I was even more surprised when I found out that Erza had been S-Class for nearly a year.

After nearly an hour on the train, we arrived at Dremadrin. I followed Erza as we headed for the mayor's office, which was located in the middle of this small town. The houses weren't expensive but they were nice, and the road was paved, along with other hallmarks of a successful town. But there were no people in the streets, and the stalls were abandoned.

"Can only twenty bandits scare a town this much?"

"It's possible," Erza replied, brow furrowed. "But not likely. Think there's something else going on?"

"Maybe. Hey, we're almost there."

After knocking on the door, the mayor himself answered it only seconds later. He stared down at us, judging, and not liking what he found. "They send _children,_ to help us? Tch."

"I assure you, Mayor Holmsworth, we can handle the mission request. Appearances can be deceiving, after all. Would Master Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, send us if he didn't think we could complete it?" My voice was cool and aristocratic, the way Father taught me to be.

Erza looked at me with an amused expression on her face, while the Mayor looked shocked and sheepish. "O-of course not..."

"We understand, Mayor Holmsworth. You're only caring for the wellbeing of your people, after all."

He nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, that's it. Come on in."

We entered his office, and he offered us tea, which we accepted. He settled behind his large, mahogany desk and began to explain the job to us.

"About three weeks ago, a farm out on the outskirts of Dremadrin was looted and burned to the ground. It came out of nowhere; we've never had problems with bandits before. In the last few weeks, they've gotten closer to the town square. Luckily no one's been killed yet. We've had a few witnesses, they say that there's about twenty bandits all told, and they all fight with swords."

"If you can excuse me, I'll be back in a minute." I leaned over to Erza to whisper, "something to check, real quick. Be back soon." I strode quickly out of the office and into the street, and summoned a silver key from the Spirit World. "Open, Gate of the Eagle, Aquila!" There was a flash of light, and the beautiful bird of prey appeared. She knew my intentions without having to ask due to the bond between Master and Spirit. I turned and walked back into the office. "Sorry about that," I apologized with a small smile, closing my eyes.

"It's fine," Erza waved it off, with a curious look. She turned back to the mayor. "Do you know why they might be targeting your town? It might be an act of vengeance."

"Can't think of anything, no. We've never had problems of this sort before. We're a newer town, only a few generations old."

"Understood."

"There's an inn down across the road, I've booked you a room. They'll serve you three meals a day for free, just tell them it's on my tab. Anything else?"

"Actually, yes." I said, opening my eyelids to reveal an eagle's beady eyes. The Mayor fought to stifle a gasp, and even Erza looked confused. "There's a small campsite next to a lake, with twenty-three bedrolls and a portable fireplace. I see one man for every bedroll hanging around. It's about five miles southwest of here, underneath a rock outcropping. Are they your men?"

"Ah... no, I've never heard of the place."

"Then we've found our bandits." I smiled, and my eyes flashed once before returning to normal. I stood up, and Erza did too. "Thank you Mayor Holmsworth, your little problem will be cleared up by nightfall." We turned and left his office.

"What was that, Lucy?" Erza asked almost immediately once we were out of earshot. I smiled at her sweetly.

"Aquila, the Eagle. She's a wonderful scout. I can look through her eyes, too. That's why I stepped out for a moment."

She flashed me a smile. "Well done. If you have more tricks like that up your sleeve, I can see why you thought you could handle this job alone. What other keys do you have?"

I smiled at her innocently. "What exact weapons and armors do you have in your Requip space?"

She laughed. "Fair enough."

It was midafternoon when we finally arrived just outside the campsite. We stood near the top of the rocky overhang, which Aquila showed me the camp was underneath. Erza made to look over the edge, but I grabbed onto her skirt and held her down. She looked at me questioningly and I responded with a wink.

I snatched another silver key from the Spirit World and chanted the opening spell in my mind. _Open, Gate of the Fly, Musca! _The littlest of all the spirits zoomed out from our hiding hole, and explored for a long moment. My eyes didn't change appearance this time, but I still saw through his. I dismissed him after a minute.

"Seven are swimming in the lake, one is relieving himself against a tree a little east of us, thirteen are seated around their campsite, and the last two are sleeping near some trees to the west." I whispered quietly.

"Well done. It's your job, so what's the plan?"

I thought for a moment. "When you hear the lake begin to churn, jump down and begin to fight against the main thirteen. Play defensive. I'll join you soon."

She nodded her head in acquiescence.

I snuck away from the outcropping, headed to the west. My black leather boots were almost completely silent against the rocks. I pooled some magical energy against the Shackles and formed two throwing knives, held in a loose grip. I neared the two sleepers inside of five minutes.

I breathed deep, and flung both knives towards the bandits. My accuracy was unerring, and they embedded themselves into the mundane's necks. The daggers, being magical in nature, did not actually puncture a hole into the bandits' flesh; rather, they phased through the skin, severing nerves, and dealing intense pain to knock them out easily.

_Two down, twenty-one to go._

I began to sneak towards the lake. I summoned a golden key from the Spirit World and held it tightly in my hand. Auntie Aquarius felt my intentions through the contact, and I felt her approval of my performance so far on my first ever job. I neared the body of water.

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

She appeared in a flash of light, and began whipping up a massive wave. The seven swimmers had no idea what they were in for. The waters began to churn violently, and Aquarius laughed in delight. It wasn't long until they were smashed unconscious. I ran around the lake towards Erza, all the while debating with Aquarius.

"Have a boyfriend yet, Lucy?"

"I've only been away for three days, Auntie! No!"

"That sounds like an excuse to me! Are you not good enough?" She smirked at me arrogantly.

"I've been in the Guild Hall for a grand total of maybe fifteen minutes. The only guy I spoke to kept stripping off his clothes! I haven't _met_ a good guy yet."

"Fine! Call me when you do."

"Sure thing," I laughed. Aquarius returned to the Spirit World, and I summoned a different golden key. I finally arrived at Erza's location, and like I asked her to, she was playing defensive.

I breathed in deep, dropping into my old meditation technique. _"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Capricorn!" _I shone white, like every spirit does when they are summoned. When the light dissipated, my blonde hair was tied in a low, tight ponytail, and my eyes shone black. I no longer wore my casual clothes, instead wearing Capricorn's choice of black business suits. The button-up midnight-black shirt hung untucked over black slacks, and I felt Capricorn's agility and dexterity augmenting my own.

The theory behind a partial summoning is simple enough. For a usual summon, most of a Stellar Mage's magical power is spent in a single pulse to open the Gate, and then a smaller but continuous stream of magic is used to keep the Gate propped open. This allows a spirit to come through the gap between worlds to assist us with combat, or another task that they are specialized in.

However, with a partial summon, the gate is only propped ajar – it is never fully opened. So there is no initial rush of power used up actually summoning a spirit. Instead, their power flows through the Gate unaccompanied – how much power is determined by how open the Gate is, which is determined by how much magic is used – which then needs a host. Namely, the Stellar Mage.

So when I sprinted away from the lake and towards the battle between my nakama and now fourteen bandits, I did so at twice the speed I could have achieved without Capricorn's power. I summoned two daggers, heavier and longer than the kind I usually throw, and fought alongside the Titania. I battled the way Capricorn taught me to, using my natural talent for dance, and natural dexterity. I didn't block any of their swings, choosing instead to deflect them away or evade them entirely, and then counterstrike. I went for weak points, using my speed to my advantage, lashing out at vulnerable tendons and throats and wrists.

I saw a bandit strike at Erza from behind, and impaled him in the forehead with a thrown dagger.

I saw a swordsman overextend his thrust, so I deflected his attack, and stabbed him in the heart.

I saw a pair of nonmagicals swing at me simultaneously, so I ducked and struck them in their kneecaps. I manifested a new pair of daggers and slit their throats.

Erza looked at me horrified.

"Magic knives, Erza." I smiled at her. "I placed a limiter on them, to cap their damage. Leaves them unconscious. They're all still very much alive."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Looking at them now I can see that. Sorry for thinking the worst of you."

"No, it's my fault. I forgot to warn you ahead of time." I looked around at the fallen bodies. "Now what do we do?"

"Tie them up and drag them to town." She said, exquipping her swords. "You did good out there. I can see that you probably could have handled this alone. I'd like you to take someone with regardless, or join a team, but," she shrugged. "Good job.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail."

* * *

**A/N: So... what do you think? Did I do a good job writing Lucy's first mission?**

**Toodles.**


	3. Rozen Krone

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows and such! Again! _Kyaa!_**

**Here's the second chapter, which is kind of a continuation of the first. Next chapter will be a bit more important story-wise, you'll see.**

**Anyways, here's the chapter. Hope you like it ~**

* * *

_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Chapter Two; Rozen Krone_

_Fairy Tail Guild Hall; June X781_

* * *

"Levy..." I whined, sprawled on my back on top of the table. I wore my usual black skirt, bra, and tank top, with a white sweater hanging off my shoulder. My black leather boots swished back and forth in the air, dangling off the edge of the wooden table. "I'm bored."

"Then read a book. Or take a job. Or get something to drink. Or practice your magic. Or-"

"I get it, I get it," I said, waving a hand airily. Levy humphed, adjusted one of her detached sleeves of her adorable orange dress, and went back to her book on Solid Script Magic. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, only partially obscured by my loose, blonde hair. She was right, of course. Doesn't matter though. "I'm bored, and I don't want to get up."

She sighed, and raised her eyes to the skies. I could only imagine what was going on in her head. Probably something along the lines of, _'gods give me the patience to put up with fools.' _Levy says a lot of hurtful things like that when I interrupt her reading. "Once you get up and moving, your laziness will go away."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Liar," I accused haughtily.

"Lu-chan-" she paused. She breathed in deep, and let it out. "Lu-chan, I love you to death, _but I'm trying to read._ Go complain to Cana or something."

"I'm pretty sure Cana's drunk at the moment."

"How? It's not even noon."

"It's Cana, though," I pointed out, my logic flawless. Cana had recently taken up drinking, despite not being of legal age. She always got drunk really fast, but every time it took her longer and longer. She was obviously building up a resistance to alcohol of some sort. I worried about her, sometimes.

"Then go complain to Lisanna."

"Can't. She's off with Natsu and Happy again." I had no idea what the two of them did all the time. I was also afraid Natsu was starting to corrupt poor Lisanna with his loud and obnoxious attitude, because whereas she used to be a soft-spoken and sweet girl, she's now a soft-spoken and sweet girl who never shuts up.

"Erza or Mirajane?"

"They're out on an S-Class together. I'm not quite sure how that happened. But whatever monster they're hunting will probably run off in fear when it witnesses one of their little spats."

"That's..." Levy struggled to find a word for a minute, then stopped, cocking her head to the side. "...Actually kind of realistic. How about Gray?"

"He's naked at the moment."

"Gray! Put some clothes on and take a job with Lucy!" Levy called out, picking up her book again, looking smug.

"...Traitor." I rolled lazily off the table, falling to the ground. I picked myself up and ambled over to Gray, who was currently crawling under a table grabbing his shirt. He already had his pants on, thank the gods. I walked past him and to the job board, spun around, and leaned against it. My eyes were lidded, and I yawned, trying to wake myself up.

Today was my three-month anniversary of the day I joined Fairy Tail. It was the best decision I ever made. I still spoke with Erza often, even though we hadn't taken a job together since my first. She told everyone that I did really well, though, which prompted several team invites that I declined. I don't know why I did; I just couldn't see myself as a permanent part of any of them.

I had gotten a room at Fairy Hills, which really wasn't all that bad at one hundred thousand jewels. Capricorn helped me decorate it, so it turned out all black and silver. I had gotten an extremely soft mattress and a lacquered four-poster mahogany bed, as well as a matching bookshelf for all the Celestial Spirit Magic tomes and journals that Capricorn has given me over the years. The bedspread and pillows were black with silver designs, the walls were black, and Levy and I had painted silver lotus swirls on them. I blame Uncle Capricorn for making me obsessed with the colors, I used to be _normal._

As I usually took more expensive missions, and rarely had to split them more than two ways, I quickly built up a large cache of money. I would then proceed to blow them all on silver keys, which I now have eight of. Along with my three Zodiac Keys, I now was probably the most diverse wizard of our generation in the guild, even if Erza and Mira could beat me into the ground.

I've also kept an eye out for other Zodiac Keys, but have yet to hear a whisper of any, excepting that Blue Pegasus woman's. I hoped that, whoever they belonged to, they were being treated well.

"What kind of job you want to take?" Gray asked me, having finally arrived at the mission board. He looked them over with a calculating eye, and glanced at me with a questioning gleam.

"Something violent. I'm bored."

He laughed to himself. "Never took you for that kind of girl."

"I wasn't always. But Capricorn has been teaching me how to fight since I was little, so I kind of acquired it over time." I manifested a thin throwing dagger and twirled it between my fingers, and tossing it in the air before catching it.

"Here's one: _'Escort family heirloom from Valadox to Tressalyn, 150,000 J.'_"

"Hmm... can we take the train?"

"No," he read. "Too paranoid. Wants us to trek through a forest."

"Pass. I am _not_ spending a week in some forest for seventy-five thousand jewel."

"Yeah, I feel bad for the poor sucker who takes this mission." He scanned through a few more. "How about this: _'Bandit horde in Dremadrin, help! 600,000 J.'_ Huh. Six hundred thousand? That's a lot for a mission like this."

I frowned. "Yeah, it is. Wait. Dremadrin?" I plucked the request from his hands, and read it through quickly. My frown turned deeper. "Let's take it. Grab a third, though, I feel something off about this."

"What do you mean, Luce?"

"It's just, my first job in Fairy Tail was to clear some bandits from this town. There were two dozen of them, or thereabouts. But something felt off about the entire place, like everyone was too afraid; twenty-some bandits doesn't do that to people. Guess I was right."

"Does sound suspicious," Gray said, expression turning contemplative. A moment later he spoke up. "Don't have enough information yet, though. Let's figure it out when we get there."

"Alright. I'll grab Levy, we can make her figure it out for us. See you at the station in two hours for the twelve-o-clock train."

"Agreed," he replied, waving his hand in a roundabout motion. I walked over to the bar, where I saw the Master sleeping leaned against the wall. I pondered just leaving him be, but I needed the mission signed off on. I poked him in the shoulder.

"Um... Master?" He jolted awake, and I felt a little guilty. "Gray, Levy, and I are taking this mission." I handed it to him.

"Uh-huh..." he slurred, pulling out his logbook and signing off on it. "Take care, now, Cana."

_Cana? I don't even-_

I sighed. I peeked at the book and saw he wrote the right names, at least. I left and headed over to Levy. I had to weave in between Macao and Wakaba, and step over Nab's prone frame, but I made it eventually. I decided to be mean and slap her book shut.

She looked up at me with despair in her beautiful eyes. "Lu-chan? How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends."

I grinned at her. "Yep. And us three friends are taking a job together out in Dremadrin. I already got the Master to sign off on it, so you can't say no."

She grumbled. "Lu-chan, you're a traitor."

I laughed. "Some bandits, and some detective work maybe, too. Might take a couple days. Be at the train station at noon."

"Fine. But I'm making you store my stuff in the Spirit World."

"Sure, just don't be late." We stuck our tongues out at each other as I walked out of the Guild Hall. I didn't have to stop by my room at Fairy Hills as I already had more than enough equipment in my Spirit World locker. I followed the main road through Magnolia past the library, bookstore, bakery, and all the other shops, but didn't go in any. I arrived at the train station and, because of all the extra time to kill, sat cross-legged on a bench.

I focused on my five senses, and one by one shut them out. The rubbing of the fabric of my clothes on my skin faded away. The faint taste of breakfast did as well. My eyes were closed, the smell of trains and oil dissipated, and the sounds of city life died all around me, until all that was left was the faint thrum of my heartbeat and my breath. Then those were shut out as well. Somewhere along the way I ceased to think, acting only on instinct.

I felt my magical container deep inside of me, and released it.

I didn't cast any spells. I didn't chant any arias. I didn't manipulate the magical energy. I just...

… held it.

And it slowly, ever so slowly, became more and more instinctual. More and more malleable. Easier to control.

I awoke to Gray shaking me roughly and calling my name. He, and Levy behind him, looked confused and slightly alarmed. "You alright, Lucy?"

I blushed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I kinda... forget myself when I'm meditating." I leapt off the bench and wiped off the dust from my skirt. I smiled at them sheepishly. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah, come on," Gray said, rolling his eyes. Levy looked amused. I stored each of their bags in the Spirit World and hurried after them. Gray bought us our tickets and we slipped into the train just in time, and settled down in an empty compartment. Gray reclined on one bench while Levy and I claimed the other. "Did you tell Levy about the job yet, Lucy?"

"Kinda!" I chirped happily. I turned to Levy. "So, three months ago Erza and I were clearing out some bandits in Dremadrin. Just twenty or so, nothing major. But the crazy thing is, everyone was locked in their houses, as if they were terrified. Weird, right? But Erza and I were only paid to handle the bandits, so we did, and went home.

"So today Gray found a request for bandits _again, _in the same town. So now I'm thinking maybe there's something a little bigger going on." I concluded, pleased with myself for my deductions. Gray rolled his eyes again.

"You may be right Lu-chan," Levy theorized, leaning against the compartment wall and tucking her knees underneath her. "Maybe you just took out the grunts, and so the leader was able to recruit more. Or maybe they were just illusions and you were dreaming while Erza did all the work."

"Sounds reasonable," Gray added, nodding sagely.

I looked at them both in mock horror. "Levy-chan? How could you?" I pretended to cry. "I expect this kind of treatment from Gray, he's not very nice. But you, Levy?"

"Nicest damn person you ever met," Gray muttered, irked. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"We're just teasing you, Lu-chan," Levy said, amused.

"Yeah, I know," I replied, turning to Gray. "You know, I don't think I've taken a job with you since the Tressalyn mission. That was over two months ago."

"Now _that_ was a good job," he smirked. "Kick back and relax for two days until the thief shows up, then beat him into the ground? Sure as hell trumps most other jobs I've taken. Pay was nice, too."

"What are you talking about?" Levy asked.

"It was my second job since joining Fairy Tail," I informed the bluette. "Gray and I were hired to guard a museum, apparently they were expecting a thief to strike in the next few days. How they knew, or why a criminal would want to strike there, we had no idea. We also didn't bother asking. But there was plenty of free food and an easy fight at the end of it, and I was able to stop Gray from wrecking the place." I added this last part with a pointed look in the ice mage's direction.

He shrugged, unashamed. "It's a talent. It's also why I like these kinds of jobs, if I wreck a few trees no one cares."

"I still have no idea how you manage to destroy so much stuff! I've seen your repair bills."

"I really don't know," he scratched the side of his head in genuine confusion. "Just kinda... happens."

"Is it your specialty, maybe? That'd explain it." I mused, thinking back to Capricorn's lessons on the more free-form magic types.

"Yeah, it would," Levy assented.

"I'm sorry, what?"

I blinked, and Levy and I looked at him. Was he serious? Neither Levy nor I were molding mages, and we both knew about specialties.

"Specialties. It's a Molding Magic thing. Every one of you specializes in something, like insects, or machines, or something," Levy explained.

Gray's brow furrowed. "Really?"

"Yes!"

He cocked his head to the side. "Now that you mention it, my teacher always used plants in a fight. And Lyon was really good with animals..." He trailed off at the end.

"Plants?" Levy asked.

He nodded his head, and settled into his combat stance. _"Ice Make: Rozen Krone."_ A spiraling vine of thorns sprouted from his hand and grew around his arm, encircling him. It looked... alive. "Hers is a different color, though."

"I'd guess that's a mark of her mastery over it, but I can't say." I thought aloud. "I don't know much about Molding Magic. What about you? What's your specialty?"

He thought for a moment. "Looking back, I always seemed to be good with weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Yeah. Lances, swords, battle-axes, shields, hammers. That sort of thing. Wonder why I never questioned it."

"That's because you're a male, and not as clever as Levy and I."

He just scowled at me.

The rest of the trip passed in relative silence. Gray was lying on his back, using his Ice Make Magic to create miniature axes and swords and such with a thoughtful expression on his face. Levy was scrunched up against the wall daydreaming with an impossibly peppy grin on her features. I reviewed my magical repertoire, which was actually quite the task, considering the nature of the strongest Caster Celestial Magic. Weird how summoning immortal beings from other worlds can be accomplished with a half dozen words, max, while casting my more powerful spells requires chanting.

There was another spell I've been working on that I hadn't even mentioned to Capricorn. It followed simple theory about Gates that even the most green of stellar mages understands. But I twisted it, morphed it, to create a completely different effect. The thought process behind it was sound, but I found it difficult to manipulate my magic in the unfamiliar way I knew I had to. I sighed.

I held up a single hand, and surged some power through the Shackles. They were far more versatile than I had thought. They were, essentially, ethernano-to-molding-magic conversion machines. They were far more limited than Gray's actual Molding Magic, being able to only manifest things that I can hold in my hands, and costing extreme amounts of magic to do what Gray can in his sleep. I don't know why I thought I could only make weapons with them, Capricorn never said so. I just assumed.

After watching myself use the Shackles over and over again, I've deciphered more or less how it works. It converts the image I hold in my mind into a 'frame' or 'mold' that I then fill with raw magic, which coincidentally is the reason it is so magically exhausting in the first place. It's no requip, and certainly no molding magic, but it's an incredibly versatile tool that shows just how diverse Celestial Magic really is – which is the point. Celestial Magic is supposed to be diverse, being able to do several things – or rather, summon experts at several individual things – well. And my Shackles and Molding Magic aren't actually related, just like Spirit World storage and requip aren't related: they're just useful parallels.

There is one area of Celestial Magic that is, actually, 'narrow and deep' rather than 'wide and shallow.' It also happens to be my favorite aspect to the magic. They are the Caster Spells, which Capricorn has meticulously recorded in his private journals that he has passed onto me. There's a depth to the caster branch of Celestial Magic that doesn't exist in the rest of the field. The Caster Celestial Magic, generally referred to as Starlight Magic, has a power and elegance to it that I have come to admire.

The first tier of these spells are similar to other magics in that they have at most a couple of words necessary to incant. They vary in effect and power, although they generally relate to either the stars or dimensional warping of a sort. They are easy enough to learn, and most are incredibly useful. And yet, they would be considered the faceless masses in front of the kings and queens of Starlight Magic, the Arias.

Arias all have a chant to them, and at the moment I can only cast shorter or medium length Arias. The more powerful ones have fallen completely out of use and would be considered Lost Magics on their own. Capricorn won't let me see them yet, and the only one he mentioned, Urano Metria, is still way out of my reach. Pity.

The train came to a stop and the three of us shuffled out. We strode to the Mayor's office to talk more about the job, but I stopped them partway. I snatched a silver key from the Spirit World and felt her assent through the link as I held it. "Open, Gate of the Eagle, Aquila! Gate of the Fly, Musca!" After the flash of light and the beautiful creature flying off to scout, we three mages and one fly spirit continued on to the mayor's office.

The mayor, after opening the door, looked about ready to make a snide comment. He stopped when he saw me, and wordlessly led us inside. He offered us tea, which we declined, and settled behind his large desk with a sigh. "I am glad you are here. They are getting out of control, and they now number somewhere above fifty. Just like last time, I will offer you a room at the inn as well as three meals a day for the duration of your stay."

"We thank you for your hospitality," Levy replied, nodding her head. I wasn't paying much attention. Musca was streaming me a constant stream of information, as he flew around the mayor's private rooms, but the only suspicious thing I saw was the various mission requests he's sent out to other guilds. All for bandits, too.

"...should be simple enough, right, Luce? Luce?" Gray tapped me on the shoulder and I jolted back to my senses. Everyone was looking at me oddly. I blushed.

"Sorry... I was communing with my spirits." My eyes turned into those of an eagle's, and I saw through Aquila's eyes. _They were in the same spot as last time? Huh. Yeah, there's fifty four of them... _I dismissed Aquila and my eyes returned to normal. "Can't seem to find them," I lied. I turned to my partners. "Let's check out the north side of the forest today, tomorrow we can check the east side, and so on." I nodded my head towards Mayor Holmsworth. "Thank you for choosing Fairy Tail."

We exited his office but I left Musca behind to watch the mayor. Gray and Levy looked at me strangely. We were headed towards the northern side of the forest as I said, walking at a brisk place. Gray spoke up. "You saw something, didn't you?"

"Yeah, they're at the same place as last time I was here, but that's not all I found. I had Musca check out his private room, and I saw a stack of job requests. Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, Quatro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel, and then Fairy Tail again: one a month for the past six months, for bandits each time."

Levy frowned. "Why wouldn't he go to the same guild each time, especially if they succeeded?"

"I'm guessing he doesn't want anyone to get suspicious of why they're having such a problem. But that would mean that he knows what's actually happening, and while he wants the grunts taken care of, he doesn't want the root of the problem handled. But the question is, why? What's in it for him?"

"Maybe they're bribing him?" Levy offered.

"Not likely," Gray mused aloud. "Then he wouldn't be sending out job requests to arrest them."

"I had Musca stay behind, and now I'm glad I did," I said, watching the mayor through Musca's eyes. "He's making a lacryma call to someone. Musca can't hear, but I can read lips. He's saying something about 'Fairy Tail mages coming to clean out your men.'" I frowned. "That makes it sound like he's talking to the bandit leader."

"Damn," Gray murmured. "I was going to leave this whole mystery thing alone, too. Just clear out the bandits, take my money, and go home."

We veered away from the north, following the forest as it ran southwest. I couldn't help but mull over the riddle we've been left with. The mayor clearly hasn't told us everything. But there would be no point in marching back to him and demanding answers. We'd have to threaten him, and while Erza might be cool with that, I'm not. Not to mention, it'd reflect badly on Fairy Tail.

Halfway to our destination I pulled lunch out of the Spirit World and tossed it to each of my comrades. We ate as we walked, and I slowly came up with a plan for attack. Grey and Levy together are not quite as strong as Erza, and now we have more than twice the number of bandits to fight. We'd have to do this carefully, and get it right the first time.

I summoned Musca and had him scout around for us. I frowned.

"So there's forty seven sleeping in bedrolls on the ground right next to the lake. There's also six guarding them, two standing and four sitting down. Can't find the last guy."

"Think he might be the leader?" Gray asked.

"Maybe. There are fifty-three bedrolls and one tent, which would point to that." I released Musca. "Three months ago doing this same job I got a silver key that should help find him, but we need to clear out the bandits first. They're smarter than last time, we won't be able to sneak up on them and take them out in groups. We'll get one sneak attack and that's it. Prepare your strongest attack, and fire it when I do mine."

Gray nodded. "Understood."

Levy smiled at me. "Sounds like a plan, Lu-chan."

I walked up to edge of the rocky cliff, and fell into my meditative trance. When my eyes opened, they shone gold, and the chant came out in a distorted melody.

_"O Cassiopeia..._

_ "Reflecting off the glistening pool... _

_ "Monstrosity in the Oceans..._

_ "Diamonds in the Sky..._

_ "Lies the Lady of Chains!"_

Countless pinpricks of light shone into being in a loose array around the awakening men. They pulled at the sunlight and glowed ever brighter, the air distorting under the pressure. They grew in size and luminescence, until they became the size of one of Elfman's fists, before bursting with a series of tremulous explosions. The sudden and simultaneous nature of the rapid explosives churned the air like an angry sea, and the bandits were thrown hither and thither, knocking into the ground and each other. A massive crater was blown into the earth.

I didn't see what they did, but Gray and Levy pulled off impressive spells as well. I saw several spears of ice embedded into the ground, and curiously circular holes with unconscious criminals at the bottom.

There were about twenty still in fighting condition. We had the high ground, though. Gray was molding spears and javelins and was throwing them down at the scattered and terrified bandits. Levy was conjuring fire and lightning and raining down hell on them. And I had my own spells as well.

_"Starlight Magic: Falling Star!"_ I held both my arms outstretched towards the enemy, with my hands overlapping each other. An orb of light manifested in front of me, and shot towards the criminals, leaving behind an arc of after images that I had to blink to clear from my eyes.

_"Starlight Magic: Celestial Sphere!"_ I spread my hands out to the side, and a soft, luminescent glow encased them. I brought my hands together, but instead of a _clap,_ the shining lights merged, dissipated, and reappeared above the target. With a mental command, the sphere fell to earth and struck my target with unerring accuracy.

_"Starlight Magic: Pulse!" _I waved my hand through the air as if backhanding an invisible foe, and a ripple of distortion sped through the air. It made contact with three bandits, and they were pinned to the ground, the gravitational force far too strong. A hammer of ice knocked them out a moment later.

The fight was over.

"Hey, nice one- _Levy!" _ I rushed over to my bluette best friend, who was lying on the ground with an arrow embedded in her chest. The battle was so loud that we hadn't heard her get shot. I hadn't even noticed any of them draw a weapon. A distant part of my mind noticed Gray swearing and running over, dropping to a kneel next to me.

My mind raced. _What do I do?_

My first thought was to ask Capricorn.

"Open, Gate of the Goat, Capricorn!" My Uncle manifested next to me, already carrying medical supplies. He kneeled next to us and began to treat Levy. The arrow was in deep, and I didn't know if she'd be okay.

After the longest forty seconds of my life Capricorn stood back up. "The arrow failed to puncture any vitals," he spoke. "It lodged in deep, and will take her a couple of weeks to heal from, but she will make a full recovery."

Gray and I left out a breath we didn't know we were holding. "Thanks, Uncle," I said with a small smile. "Don't know what I'd do without you."

"No problem." And he vanished, going back to the Spirit World.

I turned to Gray. "You tie up the bandits, and I'll track the missing leader."

"Alright, but, how?"

"Three months ago a silver key was part of the reward for the last Dremadrin job," I replied, walking over to the tent, which had remained untouched throughout the fight. "Haven't had much call to summon them yet, but they'll definitely be useful now. Open, Gate of the Hunting Dogs, Canes Venatici!" A pair of massive black dogs, the female slightly smaller than her mate, came through the Spirit World and padded up to me. I scratched behind their ears, but was too distracted by Levy's near miss to smile. "Growley, Red, I need you to find the person who sleeps in this tent."

I made sure to say their names quietly, so Gray couldn't hear. I had to name them _something,_ but it is not one of my talents. I had to get Uncle's help to find something suitable for Vulpecula.

They came out of the tent a minute later growling their assent.

We ran off into the forest, keeping up a good pace but slow enough that we could keep it for a couple hours. We leapt over bushes and tree roots, ducked under overhanging branches, and rounded large boulders. We were apparently following an animal trail, which was narrow and curved often. Growley and Red had no problem with the trail, and while Capricorn may have trained me like a slave driver, I was still human. I could probably prop open the gate and borrow his speed, but I was running dangerously low on magic.

We were just rounding a corner when a boulder fell from atop a sheer cliff and landed on Canes Venatici, a surprise attack that banished them straight back to the Spirit World without so much as a yelp of protest. I looked up and saw a lone man standing on the edge of the overhang, laughing at me. I grit my teeth and grabbed a silver key from the Spirit World.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Aquila!" _My fingernails morphed into talons, and my eyes turned into those of an eagle's. I felt a lightness in my frame, the sign of my bones hollowing. My tanktop and sweater was replaced by a white wrapping, leaving my back bare enough to sprout powerful, tan wings. I flapped my wings once, twice, thrice, and took off into the sky.

I circled hard in an updraft, rising further and further into the sky. I've only recently began to practice in this form, so my control was nearly non-existant. The best I could hope for was to aim and pray. I came hurtling out of the updraft and rocketed towards the thoroughly astounded man, who stood atop the sheer cliff face. He waved his hand and the stone rose, forming a barrier to protect himself.

I veered skywards to evade the wall, and had difficulty slowing down as I broke through branches and splashed into a river. I dismissed Aquila's presence, and the wings and other changes dissipated. My tanktop and sweater returned, and I stood soaked in the river. The mage walked over to the riverbed, and spoke.

"I am impressed, little girl. I've never seen magic used in such a way." He paused, thinking. "My name is Brandon Holmsworth. The mayor's second son."

The pieces started to come together.

"Lucy Ashley, Celestial Mage of Fairy Tail. Why tell me your name?"

"I respect you, child. Twice now you've captured my men. And it's not like it matters; you won't be leaving that river as anything more than a corpse."

I grit my teeth. It was likely: my magical reserves were dangerously low. If I could summon Aquarius, this battle would be mine. But I don't have enough energy to open the Gate in its entirety, only enough to prop it ajar...

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate. Aquarius!" _My aunt's presence in my mind soothed me, as my skin hardened and created scales, and my hair turned the same shade of light blue as hers. I felt my dismal reserves begin to drop, as I played vessel to the energy of one of the Zodiac.

_Thirty-two seconds..._

The river churned as a tidal wave formed and lashed out at the enemy mage. It smashed against a stone barrier that rose at the last moment, wetting it, and transforming it into soft, malleable mud. It rolled back across the riverbed like a rubber band ready to snap, before once again crashing into the mage. An angled stone wall formed, deflecting the water instead of shielding against it.

_Twenty-three seconds..._

Twin spears of water rose from the river and into the sky, darting at the mage with unerring accuracy. The ground underneath the bandit leader melted and he sunk in deep, the water lances missing him by a narrow margin. The edge of the river rose, as I pushed against the massive body of water in an attempt to flood him.

_Fourteen seconds..._

The mage attempted to harden the mud he was trapped in, but it was far more water than earth. He sunk in deeper, and deeper, until only his arms, neck and head were above the ground. He clapped his hands together and a muddy boulder ejected from the riverbed towards me, but a crystallized barrier of water deflected it. A wave, larger and more powerful than the earlier ones, manifested above me.

_Five. Four. Three. Two..._

It came crashing down on the earth mage, knocking him clean unconscious and flooding the nearby swathe of forest. I stumbled forwards, out of the cleansing water, and fell to both knees. I dropped prone on the muddy ground, suffering from extreme magical exhaustion, and my vision began to fade.

_Wonder how long it'll take Gray to find me..._

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter, Lucy hangs with the Thunder God Tribe. Kinda. And in two chapters, an old favorite appears. _Really_ old favorite.**

**Toodles.**


	4. Savagery of the Sea Monster

**A/N: I'm so happy so many people like this story ~**

**reven228; Yes, they are similar to the arc of embodiment. There's also a bit more to the Shackles than I've mentioned so far, which I've hinted towards a bit.**

**FoxOnPie; Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I won't be setting up a poll, though I am glad for all the reviews.**

**Thank you all for reviewing ^^ makes me very happy.**

* * *

_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Chapter Three; Savagery of the Sea Monster_

_Fairy Hills; October X781_

* * *

I awoke to something soft rubbing against my chest and the sight of a pair of coldly intelligent silver eyes staring into my own.

_"Eek!"_ I tumbled gracelessly out of bed and smacked against the floor. I rolled over on my back, clutching my skull in silent pain. If I was the kind of girl who cursed, I would have. Athena, proud of accomplishing the somewhat difficult feat of opening her own Gate, hopped off my bed and alighted on my stomach. I glared at her and she responded with an adorable mewl. _"Stupid, stupid fox..."_

Thoroughly awake, I stumbled to my feet and none-so-gently shoved my two-tailed spirit off of me. I kicked my closet door open and fished around for an outfit to wear. I absentmindedly stripped off my nightclothes and dressed myself in, once again, all black and silver. Black underclothes with silver lace, a black skirt to mid-thigh, a silver tanktop with a black hem, and my usual white sweater, which I had stitched the Fairy Tail mark on the back of in black and silver. Despite being a little taller than when I had first gotten the sweater, it still hung down to my hips and slipped off my shoulder.

I smacked the closet door closed with a sway of my hips, grabbed the latest journal on Starlight Magic my Uncle had given me, and walked out of Fairy Hills, Athena padding along at my heels.

Athena had woken me up earlier than I usually do, so I was only marginally surprised when I saw Evergreen walking along the path that connects Fairy Hills to the Guild Hall. I tried bringing to mind everything I know about her, but almost nothing came up. I knew that she uses something she calls Fairy Magic, which is apparently unique to her, and that she can turn anyone who looks into her eyes to stone. I also knew that she usually works with Freed and occasionally Bickslow, though they haven't formed a team as of yet.

Evergreen was wearing a short green dress, with detached sleeves, and black stockings up to her thighs. She wore low buckled boots, and her hair was up in a bun, with her curly bangs hanging across her face. She looked absolutely beautiful, which made me a little nervous to talk to her. I swallowed my irrational fears down, though.

"Hi, Evergreen," I smiled at her warmly. I had already forgiven Athena, so my source of irritation had vanished. Athena was just too cute to stay angry at for long. "I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to talk to you."

"No, don't think we have," she murmured, glancing at me with a critical eye. She looked as if she was evaluating me for something, but what I had no clue. "You're a Celestial Spirit Mage, correct?"

"That's right," I nodded, and followed her to the Guild Hall. "I can also manifest knives, which I'm pretty good with. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied, but the look in her eyes was anything but nothing. We entered the Guild Hall, and right before I veered away to talk to Levy, Evergreen grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me behind her. "Come. I'm going to introduce you to Freed."

"O-oh... Okay." I followed her meekly.

_"You okay?"_ Levy mouthed, watching me over the top of her book. I nodded my head at her, silently telling her I was fine. Evergreen and Freed wouldn't hurt me. I think. I didn't really know them. But they were fairies, right? I'd be fine.

I followed her up the stairs to the second floor. I assumed that, as the personal team to an S-Class Mage, they were allowed up there. I didn't complain; I felt special just standing up there. Eventually Evergreen dragged me over to Freed, who was drinking tea at one of the round tables. She sat down next to him and I sat across from them both, forming a loose triangle of mages.

"Good morning, Lucy," Freed greeted me, classy and scholarly as always. He wore a smart suit with golden stitching and a white cravat, which on any other seventeen-year old would look ridiculous, but works for him. "Did Ever tell you why we brought you up here?"

"Um, no," I said, suddenly nervous. Was I in trouble? Did I anger Laxus somehow? Not likely, but I couldn't think of anything else.

He shook his head at Evergreen. He turned back to look at me. "Anyways, Laxus has taken a job to eradicate a dark guild working under the Oracion Seis known as Black Diamond. They're holed up somewhere in the Featherhaven Forest, which is about four days away by train, and another two days by hike. He has invited the two of us, and we would like you to be our third."

I blinked, the only outward sign of my surprise. _They want me?_ I was... surprised. And honored. _And excited._ I smiled warmly at them both. "I would love to."

"Wonderful!" Evergreen exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. She smiled at me warmly. "The reward is eight million Jewels, and we will split it four ways, between us and Laxus."

"He'll split it evenly with us, even though it's his job? Huh. That's nice of him." I tilted my head to the side, trying to recall what I know of the master's grandson. Not much came up.

"He may seem gruff and arrogant, and it's true, but," Evergreen leaned in close to whisper in my ear, as if telling me a secret. "He's a big softie on the inside."

I giggled. "I had no idea."

Freed frowned at the both of us. "Regardless, we will be taking the nine-o-clock train tonight. Pack enough to last you several weeks, just in case. We have to not only subdue the guild, but find them, and plot out our attack plan. Then we have to signal for the Rune Knights and wait for them. It may take quite some time."

I waved a hand airily. "I've already packed."

Freed blinked. "You have?"

"Yep," I said, popping the last letter. "I have three months of food, water, clothes, survival essentials like rope and medicine, three tents, three mattresses, explosive, flame, and flare lacryma, a small rowboat, a few reafs of paper and a dozen pencils, as well as a couple books." The two of them looked at me blankly. "Spirit World, guys. I've stored it all in the Spirit World. Think of it like Requip, but I have to open a Gate everytime I want to summon something. Not good for combat, but very good for packing for a long trip."

"Huh. What a useful ability," Freed commented, impressed. "How much can you store?"

"I haven't found an upper limit yet," I mused. "But considering it's an entire world, I would assume a lot."

"Do you think you could store our things as well?"

"No problem," I replied. "It takes a lot of magic to open the Gate at first, but then I can keep it open easily enough. Just know that whatever you store with me, I'll likely only summon for you in the morning and at night. But all your clothes, camping equipment, and such? Easy."

Freed tapped a finger against his lips in thought. "You should help Ever pack, then. And the two of you can stop by my place on the way to the station. We'll be able to bring more with us, that way."

"Sounds like a plan," I smiled. I didn't much care for being their pack mule, but it's not like it cost me anything. Plus, it was nice to be helpful. I haven't teamed up with anyone since Levy got hurt.

I don't know why I accepted their invitation when I had declined Gray's, Levy's, and even Erza's these past few months. With them, I felt... safe.

* * *

"Should be arriving at the rendezvous point by dusk, or thereabouts," Freed explained. Evergreen and I made affirmative noises, the oppressive heat effectively killing any conversation. We were trekking through grassy, rolling hills, headed towards an old and abandoned farmstead to meet up with Laxus. The Featherhaven Forest was to our left, and a large and rocky river was to our right. The walk wouldn't have been to bad, if it weren't for the constant slant to the ground.

"Can't we just fly there, Freed?" I asked, careful to make sure my voice didn't come out as a whine.

Freed froze in his tracks, and stared at the floor. _"How did I not think of that..." _he muttered, and walked over to Evergreen. _"Dark Ecriture: Wings."_ Violet runes scattered from his body and coalesced into wings, attached to his back. He held onto Evergreen around her waist and took off into the sky.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Aquila!" _My fingernails morphed into talons, and my eyes turned into those of an eagle's. I felt a lightness in my frame, the sign of my bones hollowing. My tanktop was replaced by a white wrapping, leaving my back bare enough to sprout powerful, tan wings. I sprinted to the top of the hill, and took a running leap off of it. I extended my long wings and began to glide.

After my shameful showing at the Dremadrin job, I had spent long hours practicing with Aquila's partial summoning. I wanted to keep this form a secret, and flying over the forest near the Guild was an excellent place to train. Aquila would often critique me as well, giving me tips and correcting my form. I was rarely at the Guild Hall these past few months.

I learned a lot about Freed and Evergreen these past six days. Since we're taking a very dangerous S-Class Mission, the three of us adopted a no-secrets policy. I learned exactly what Freed and Evergreen could and couldn't do, as we believed holding faulty expectations of one another could get us killed. We'd need teamwork.

Which means I had to tell them exactly what keys I have, and what other skills I've mastered. So I told them about Capricorn and Aquarius and Cancer, what they could and couldn't do, and how long I could keep their Gates open. I told them about the partial summonings, the pros and cons of it, and how long I could keep it going.

I told them about my Silver Keys, too. Crux, who could gather information about anything. Horologium, who could lock people in his body. Lyra, who has the most beautiful voice. Vulpecula, who could change her size, and cast powerful illusions. Musca, who's eyes I could see through. Aquila, who's an amazing scout. Corvus the Crow, who could send messages to anyone in the world. And Canes Venatici, the best trackers in all the Spirit World.

I also told them about my partial summonings with each of the silver keys. I couldn't partially summon either of the first three, no matter how hard I tried. With Athena, I took her form, but not her magic. Partially summoning Musca was good for a tactical retreat against many opponents, or slipping past guards. With Aquila and Corvus I could fly, although I was far more skilled with the eagle's. With Canes Venatici, I gained their nose, but I didn't have the practice differentiating and following the different trails yet.

We also talked a lot about different jobs we've taken. I ended up telling them the story about the last job I've taken with a partner, the Dremadrin mission. After Gray found me and Brandon Holmsworth, the three of us and the Rune Knights had a very serious talk with the mayor. Turns out, he was passing his position down to his eldest son, and Brandon got jealous. The mayor was hoping Brandon would snap out of it, so refused to get him arrested. Now the mayor will be enjoying jail alongside his son.

And I haven't grouped with anyone since. I was always stronger alongside a partner, always more confident, but I didn't trust myself. Eventually, Levy began taking more and more missions with Shadow Gear, and Gray took longer and longer jobs. I was content with only my spirits, if a bit lonely.

Aquila's wings aren't the only things I practiced with, though. I devoured all the knowledge in Uncle's journals on Starlight Magic, and advanced my personal project a bit more. The spell I've been working on, which I've taken to calling Banishment, had been getting closer and closer to working every day, at least, until the Scare.

There were two aspects to a Summoning. Imagine a fishing pole; on one side is the fisherman, and on the other side, the fish. A summoning works by similar reasoning; the summoner solidifies their place in the Universe, by holding the pole, and cast out the other end to their Spirit, with the hook. The Spirit then grabs onto the hook, and is pulled through the Gate in between worlds to stand alongside their summoner.

My Banishment spell works the same way, but backwards: like a reverse summoning. The only problem is that I've been finding it difficult to cement my position in the Universe in two simultaneous places. It's significantly easier to summon, because all I have to do is call out the Spirit's name, and _they_ will sense _me._ I'm essentially blindly sending out the hook into the Void, or into the sea in this analogy, and the Spirit will find it on their own.

So when I attempted the Banishing spell, and since there was no one on the other end, I found myself reappearing miles above the earth, falling through the sky like a meteor. If it weren't for Aquila's wings, I would have died. I decided to suspend all testing of the spell until I find a way to ground myself to a specific place of my choice, lest I find myself Banished to a volcano on accident.

That was a month ago. I haven't made a lick of progress since. It was simply too difficult for the human mind to hold both their current location and a destination in mind, while also casting the complicated spell. I've tried just holding the destination in mind, but when I cast the spell, I accidentally Banished a chunk of someone's house, despite being in the middle of the forest at the time. I decided to halt those experiments as well, in case I banish a living human or worse, a piece of a human.

I eventually asked Uncle for help, and after looking through all my notes, he just shrugged and told me to be careful. Apparently the idea of using the summoning process in reverse as a method to achieve teleportation had never occurred to him or any of his ex-masters. He did ask for a copy of the formula if I figured it out though, which was nice.

At last I touched down in front of the farmstead, and dismissed Aquila. Freed and Evergreen landed beside me a moment later. The building was old, decrepit, and little more than a ruin. It also had Laxus sitting on the roof, and for the first time since I joined Fairy Tail, I got a good look at him.

He had short, scruffy blonde hair, and a pair of expensive-looking headphones over his ears. There was a thick scar running along one of his eyes, and his bulky build and arrogant set to his face gave him an unapproachable appearance. He wore a skin-tight dark blue shirt under a massive dark black coat, with the Fairy Tail mark on the back. His red pants covered most of his leather boots. He looked...

I don't even know.

"What's with the chick?" His deep voice rumbled out, and I was instantly offended. I swallowed my pride, though. I'm not going to lash out at the man who's letting me in on his job, and giving me a two million jewel share.

"She's Lucy Ashley, Laxus," Freed explained, sitting down on an overturned support pillar. Evergreen sat down next to him. "The Celestial Mage we told you about. Pretty strong too, or so we've heard. We thought she'd make a good addition to our team on this job."

"You mean you haven't tested her strength?"

"Well... not personally."

"Then how do we know she's not just a pretty face?"

_Jeez, I'm right here, I can hear you!_

"Ah, I'm confident that she's not."

Laxus jumped down off the rooftop and turned to me. "Well, Blondie, we're headed into a life-threatening situation. And I want to know if you've got my back. So if you're strong enough to handle, say, Freed, then maybe I can trust you."

_You're blond too!_

_ Wait... Freed?_

"Ah, Laxus, is this really necessary?" Freed seemed a bit nervous.

"Go all out, Freed," he ordered. Freed swallowed his doubts and stood up, drawing his rapier. Laxus turned to me again. "You ready, Blondie? If you fail, we're just going to leave you here, and handle the mission ourselves."

I ignored him. The way I was now, I was only going to say something stupid, anger him, or both. How could I tell my Uncle that I was kicked off the team for my first S-Class? I've got to make him proud.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Capricorn!" _I shone white, like every spirit does when they are summoned. When the light dissipated, my blonde hair was tied in a low, tight ponytail, and my eyes shone black. I no longer wore my casual clothes, instead wearing Capricorn's choice of black business suits. The button-up midnight-black shirt hung untucked over black slacks, and I felt Capricorn's agility and dexterity augmenting my own. I knew Freed wouldn't go easy, not when Laxus ordered him to go all out, so I propped the Gate open nearly all the way. My blonde hair shone brightly and when the flash faded away, my hair was white as snow. I pooled energy into the Shackles and a pair of matching midnight-black daggers manifested in my hands, with thin points and edges sharp enough to slice the very air.

I thought about summoning Cancer as well, to outnumber him, but I didn't want to enforce the notion that I was weak and needed backup. I'd have to win with my own blades and spells if I wanted their respect. Not wanting to waste magic, I dashed towards Freed, and the fight began.

Strike, deflect, evade, roundhouse, counterstrike, evade. Ignoring our other spells, we fought close quarters, my twin knives against his rapier. He moved at speeds far exceeding that of any human, and it soon became clear that he was using his runes to amplify his speed. But that was only fair, after all, I was using Capricorn for the same thing. He had a similar style to mine, choosing to deflect or evade an attack rather than outright block it, or waiting for an opening for a tactical counterstrike.

But unlike his runes, my speed wasn't the only thing Capricorn augmented, and my combat style was far more... flexible. When Freed lashed out with a vicious kick, I flipped backwards, and in midair called out my spell.

_"Starlight Magic: Falling Star!" _With my hands outstretched, one palm over the other, a shining orb of light coalesced infront of me. It struck out at Freed faster than Laxus' own lightning, and I flung both my daggers at him as well. I landed gracefully on the ground, and rushed him again.

_"Dark Ecriture: Reflect!"_ A barrier manifested before Freed, and my spell bounced off it harmlessly. It hurtled through the air at tremendous speeds back towards me, but as I had already landed, sailed uselessly into the sky above me. I was just approaching Freed when he realized that both my knives had struck him, one in the shoulder, and the other in the lower stomach. He grit his teeth and called out, _"Dark Ecriture: Wings!"_

I leapt into the air in a vain attempt to catch him, but he twisted and dodged both me and my second pair of thrown knives. The hand not holding his rapier clutched his stomach in pain, as while my knives may not actually draw blood, they tricked the body into thinking they did. So Freed was currently feeling the effects of bleeding out, while there was nothing for his rapidly searching runes to actually cure.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Aquila!" _Capricorn's choice of button-up shirt ripped as large wings grew from my back, my fingernails shifted into talons, and the Shackles shifted with them. My eyes turned into those of an eagle's, and my bones hollowed. The drain on my magic more than doubled, as my body fought to maintain the essence of two immortal beings. I shot into the air after Freed in a blitz attack, attempting to end the fight quickly.

_"Dark Ecriture: Destruction!" _Freed screamed, apparently having the same thought I did. He bolted down towards me, rapier held aloft, runes swirling in the air around him protectively. He twisted mid-flight to dodge my flung knives, and I manifested a far heavier, sturdier pair.

_"Starlight Magic: Avatar of the Night!" _Dozens of shining orbs came into existance surrounding me, and I leeched off their power, becoming faster and stronger. My knives sang against the wind, a keening sound that threatened to rupture the ears.

We both twisted at the last moment, our blades clashing together, forming a cacophony that rang out for miles. Freed fell to the earth with a third dagger impaling his chest, and a long and brutal slash ripped through Capricorn's already ruined shirt, piercing my skin and bleeding me. I let Aquila's transformation dismiss as I tumbled to the ground, but didn't dare let go of Capricorn's speed.

I made the right decision it seems, as Laxus didn't call for us to stop. Freed pulled the black, phantasmal dagger from his chest and dropped it to the floor, where it melted into the earth and vanished. I turned to the green-haired scholar and formed a new pair of daggers, breathed in deep, and flung them towards my new friend.

Freed had also dissolved his wings, and was now spinning and evading first two, then four, six, eight, twelve daggers that sliced through the air seeking his throat. He sent a Dark Ecriture: Paralyzation towards me, but I vaulted over it, and began to chant one of my newer Arias.

_ "O Perseus..._

_ "Flee from the Savagery..._

_ "From the Beast of the Seas..._

_ "From the Avatar of the Gods!"_

My voice rang out distorted and haunting, and my eyes glowed golden, with twin magic circles spinning within them. My still-snowy white hair fell from it's low tail and hung around me in a halo, kicking up in a minor wind. A great light shone behind me, before coalescing into the form of a massive water snake, which darted through the sky like it would water. The solid apparition never reached Freed, however, as his voice called out hurriedly.

_"Dark Ecriture: Pain!"_

And I collapsed to the earth, curled up, accidentally dismissing Capricorn and returning to my usual appearance. The pain was excruciating, as if every one of my nerves had been severed. Actually, that's probably what the runes did. I heard a muffled swear and suddenly Evergreen was kneeling next to me, helping me into a sitting position.

"Freed! You can't use a spell like that on a teammate!" She admonished, but I caught the word teammate, and it made me smile. Freed had arrived as well, and I leaned forward to tap him on the chest with my Shackles. Immediately, whatever pain my phantasmal knives had caused him vanished.

He blinked, and smiled at me warmly. "Sorry, Lucy. That was an impressive spell you used at the end, what was that?"

_Once a scholar, always a scholar. _I looked up at him amused. "It's an Aria, called Savagery of the Sea Monster, one of the more powerful Starlight Magic spells." I turned to Laxus and smirked at him. "Do I pass?"

He smirked back. "Oh, you'll fit right in."

* * *

**A/N: It hurts writing arrogant-asshole-Laxus, especially when I'd much rather shower him with kisses, but at this point in the timeline that's exactly what he is. Oh, woes of being a fanfiction writer.**

**At least, after the Freed fight, he accepts her. But she did get first blood off on Freed.**

**The next chapter will kick off where this one leaves off, and an old friend appears.**

**Toodles.**


	5. The Divergent Path

**A/N: So I've gotten a few questions, which I'll answer here ~**

**Bixlow is still a member of Fairy Tail, and still friends with Ever and Freed. But there'll be lots of changes to the world because of Lucy's involvement, keep that in mind.**

**Lucy is fourteen years old, Freed and Ever are seventeen, Laxus is nineteen, Erza is sixteen, Gray is fifteen, and so on. Note that only Lucy's exact birthdate is known, so everyone else's might be off a bit, as only the year of their birth is known.**

**As for strength levels, Lucy lacks the raw power and destruction of someone like Natsu, but that is precisely why Capricorn taught her such a fluid combat style and knife fighting. While she's definitely weaker than him, she's also stronger in a different way. I don't know who would win in a fight; one punch from Natsu would probably be enough to down her, but that's if his wild haymakers can actually hit her. It's a toss-up, I suppose.**

**It is kind of like Tracing, huh? I didn't think of that. She'll certainly be using it for more than combat, like, say, picking locks.**

**I already know how I'll make the Banishment spell work, I just like making Lucy work for it :P You'll see the finished product of the spell next chapter.**

**(And if you don't know, there's a line of clickies above this AN with some numbers and symbols and such. I recommend shifting the width to ¾ or ½ and the text to a larger size to make it easier on the eyes. I remember feeling so silly that I never noticed that.)**

**Anyways, wall of text over. If you have a question, drop it in the reviews and I'll answer it ^^**

* * *

_A T__housand Falling Stars_

_Chapter Four; The Divergent Path_

_Featherhaven Forest; October X781_

* * *

After my fight with Freed, Laxus warmed towards me considerably. Apparently he wasn't only searching for strength within me, but the right attitude, too. And taking one of Freed's Dark Ecriture: Pain spells to the face, and not throwing a fit about it, but instead going out of my way to undo whatever damage I had caused Freed, was enough to win me his respect. He now treated me much the same way he did Evergreen, though not quite as casually. I was still an unknown to him, just an unknown with potential. I couldn't get much more of a read off on him, though, he was too stoic.

Freed and Evergreen also warmed towards me. I knew we had hit it off before the job and on the train, but it was still the relationship friendly guildmates have with one another. After Freed's Pain spell, and my forgiving actions afterwards, they both opened up to me a bit more: not a large amount, but noticeable. Freed still felt guilty, but I suspected it would go away in time. I didn't hold it against him. It wasn't in my nature too.

The first thing Freed wanted to do after our fight was inspect my Shackles, his scholarly nature shining through. His runes circled my hands for a couple minutes, but nothing appeared to happen. Freed was perplexed, apparently his delving spell had never failed him before. I chalked it up to being from the Spirit World, but that wasn't good enough for the green-haired scholar. His fascination and irritation were amusing and somewhat cute, too. Evergreen was ecstatic. She found it hilarious that Freed was so stumped.

While my phantom daggers are designed to cause no actual damage, and I had overriden the pain they had caused Freed, his rapier and Pain spell were not designed with mercy in mind. We spent the next half hour bandaging up my wound, which will make a full recovery but likely scar, as I rode out the overpowered Pain spell. Thrice more over the next two days I was hit by a sudden relapse, collapsing to the earth in a fetal position, but after that I was in the clear. Each time Freed watched me with regret in his eyes, as Evergreen cooed over me. Laxus, apparently, respected my fortitude, but showed no mercy. How he could possibly be related to the Master, I had no clue.

After I was back up on my feet, and I loaded Laxus' gear into the Spirit World, we set off into the forest. I had to give Laxus the rundown on everything I could do, much like I did for Freed and Evergreen. He seemed surprised at the diversity of my magic, but not at all impressed. At least, he didn't show it. He then told me what he could do, and I nearly fell over when I heard he was a Dragon Slayer.

When he explained about Dragon Slayer Lacryma, my first thought was, _'where can I get one?'_ I was disappointed when I found out there was no such thing as a Celestial Dragon Slayer Lacryma. When I asked about a different element lacryma, he told me that it'd take years to get the magic up to a point where it'd reach where my Starlight and Celestial Magic is now, and during that time, my current magic would stagnate. I could probably manage it if I spent the next decade working on them both, but Starlight Magic is so diverse it wouldn't be in my best interest. So I sighed and scrapped that idea.

Although, Laxus being a dragon slayer meant that I didn't need to summon Canes Venatici to find the Dark Guild Black Diamond, or summon Aquila to scout them out from the air. Apparently, Laxus took the job because he had already ran into them in the past, and was thus able to follow their trail into the woods. Which is why we entered the forest from the farmstead – that's where the nameless Dark Mage Laxus had scented entered from.

Working with Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen was a completely unique experience for me. In the past, I've worked with Erza, Gray, Levy, and once even Natsu, and it had been different each time. The three older mages, though, had a brisk professionality to them, trekking through the forest in a military-style formation. Laxus at point, Evergreen and I watching our sides, and Freed covering the rear. We were in a constant state of awareness, so that Dark Mages couldn't get the drop on us.

It was... nice. Capricorn taught me to be like this as well, and while it was a chore at first, I quickly learned that an attitude like this was in my best interest. I was sometimes a bit peeved that Gray, Levy, and even Erza didn't follow my thinking, as they instead just relied on the enemy giving them more or less a fair fight. I, not for the first time, was glad that Levy consistently chose non-combat missions.

In the three days since we've entered the Featherhaven Forest, life took on a consistent schedule. We followed Laxus' nose in our formation, Freed with one hand on a rapier, Ever with a spell on her lips, and Capricorn's key in my hand. We would walk the entire day away, not even stopping when I pulled lunch from the Spirit World. They were overjoyed to have hot meals, as the nature of the Spirit World meant the meats and buttered bread were still fresh.

When night rolled around, Laxus and Evergreen would scout out the surrounding area while Freed helped me unload our camping equipment. I would open the Gate to the Spirit World, pull out the equipment, and Freed would set it up. It would only take a handful of minutes to get everything ready, as we never had to actually take anything down at night. Then the four of us would have dinner, Freed would set up a runic perimeter, we'd arrange a guard just in case, and go to sleep.

In the morning, we'd pull everything into the Spirit World and set out again. The only thing even remotely interesting that happened in those days was when Laxus smelled something.

"What is it, Laxus?" Freed asked, seeing the Slayer stop and sniff the air.

"Some chick," he responded. "Didn't smell her earlier, the forest is too thick." Then he turned and headed off in a different direction.

We ran into none other than Karen Lilica, from Blue Pegasus. She was high and mighty and cruel, and everything I hated in a Stellar Mage. She looked lethargic, though why I had no clue, and she raved on and on about how someone had asked for her in particular to find some enchanted spring in the forest. There was four million jewels offered up as a reward, and while the job seemed off to me, I didn't say anything. I was too busy restraining myself from lunging for the jugular.

After she split off from us to search out the spring she was hired to find, The three of them had to put up with my rant on how I was the only sane Stellar Mage in all of Fiore, and how I wished murder was legal so I can take her keys from her by force. I didn't really mean the murder part, but I was serious about the keys. I don't think Laxus understood my anger, but Freed and Evergreen did.

The rest of the trip passed smoothly, and Laxus lead us straight to their Guild. It had the appearance of a cabin, large enough to fit maybe fifty mages. It was made of a dark wood, with a chimney in the back, and three rooms built into it. There was no guard of any sort, either. They must've had all their faith in the relative seclusion of their Hall.

I eyed Laxus. "What's the plan?"

"You said something about a fly key?" He stated more than asked.

"Yes. Open, Gate of the Fly: Musca." I sent the spirit through a crack in the doorway to investigate the guildhall. A minute later I dismissed him. "Sixteen mages, all awake, milling around. Fifteen rough-looking males, one girl in some kind of costume. None of them keeping guard. Three of them are drunk." I bit my lip. "The girl in the costume is yelling at them."

Laxus blinked. "Any look particularly strong?"

"None appear to be strong, but that's not a gurantee. I would assume the Guild Master is powerful, but either he's not here, or he looks no different from his mages. And I can't tell if the girl is to be taken serious or not."

"Right," he turned to our scholar. "Freed, put up a barrier. No one gets out. Ever, go around the back. Blondie, get on top of the Hall. When you see me start throwing lightningbolts around, break through the wall and flank them."

I nodded my head in acquiescence as the three of us got to work. I fingered Musca's key as Freed got to work setting up a runic barrier. I hated partially summoning the Fly, but it would be far more stealthy than Aquila. _"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Musca!"_ I compressed into a near-microscopic form and flew over to the top of the Hall. I eagerly dismissed the summoning and alighted on the rooftop gracefully.

I crouched on the rooftop for another five minutes before the fight began. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I could barely hear the varied forest noises over the blood rushing in my veins. But when a blinding and powerful lightningbolt broke down the Guild Hall, I was shocked back to my senses, as the thunder's boom struck me a heartbeat later.

_"Starlight Magic: Revelation!" _Revelation, a spell which walks the line between Gravity Magic and Stellar Magic, increased the effect gravity has on a non-organic object. Cast upon the rooftop of the Black Diamond Guild Hall, the structure was a good kick or spell away from collapsing. _"Starlight Magic: Celestial Sphere!" _A shining light coalesced in the sky above me, and with a command, struck the building and broke through the rooftop easily.

The effect was impressive, to say the least. Between Laxus' thunder, Evergreen's Fairy Blasts, and my collapsing of the roof and smashing their faces in from above, the Dark Guild didn't stand a chance. Freed didn't even join in, just stood by his barrier and watched.

_"Starlight Magic: Falling Star!" _I cast, aiming blindly into the smoke-filled Guild Hall. After that I waited, crouched on the shattered remains of the rooftop, claiming the only structurally sound piece of the Guild Hall. Laxus and Evergreen had stopped as well, as we waited for the smoke to clear. After a long moment Laxus signalled to jump down, and I did. I looked around me, confused. "Where's the costume girl?"

"What'd she look like?" Evergreen asked me.

"White hair, angel costume. Kinda stands out." I hummed. "Hey, Freed?" I looked around.

"Freed?" Evergreen asked. When I heard her gasp, Laxus and I spun and sprinted over to her.

Freed looked horrible. He had what appeared to be an identical copy of his rapier impaling him through the chest, and blood started to drip down to his stomach. He lay on the ground in a daze. He looked up at Laxus and his eyes cleared slightly. "Celestial... Mage." He murmured. "Oracion... Seis."

I swallowed. _Just our luck,_ I thought, gritting my teeth. _We attack Black Diamond the day one of their superiors shows up for who-knows-what. _"Open, Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!" Uncle appeared with a med kit already in hand, reminding me of what happened to Levy. He kneeled down next to Freed and began to work.

"I'm going to kill her," Laxus growled. He rose to his feet and stalked away from the wreckage, but smashed into the runic barrier. He blinked at it, bewildered. "The hell?"

"She must have Gemini..." I murmured. I coughed to clear my throat, and spoke up. "Uncle Capricorn told me about a spirit that can copy someone's shape and magic. The Oracion Seis girl must have that spirit."

"Damn it," Laxus whispered, under his breath. He turned to Evergreen. "Tie up the grunts, use the magic cancelling cuffs." He turned to me. "Stay with Freed, he's tough, make... make sure he's alright." His face shifted to one of absolute rage and he began to work on the runic barrier. He must have just picked it up after working with Freed for so long.

As I watched my Uncle work on Freed, my thoughts strayed to Laxus. I thought I had him pegged as an arrogant jerk who didn't care about those under him. But that look on his face when he first saw Freed, was an expression of absolute fear and rage. Thinking about it now, it's clear he's highly protective of Freed and probably Evergreen too. I wondered what it would feel like, to have a guy like Laxus watching over me.

I didn't know what happened in the past to make Evergreen and Freed so attached to him, or Laxus so protective of them. But it was a beautiful thing to witness, and it completely rewrote my opinion of the Slayer. No one who cares about his allies that much could be bad, and it made sense, now, why Evergreen called him a softie on the inside. I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but it's clear he's not quite like people believe him to be.

I shook my head. No, Laxus is still an arrogant jerk who doesn't understand the meaning of kindness. He's just not all bad, and the few parts of him that are good are just really, really good. I sighed, confused. I decided to put these questions on the shelf for now, there were more important things to deal with.

"He'll be bedridden for at least two months," Uncle said. I looked up to him sharply. "The blade came frighteningly close to piercing his heart. But as strong magically as he is, he ought to make a full recovery." I sighed in relief. I don't know how, but I became awfully close to Freed and Evergreen without realizing it. "He's stable, and should be fine. Get him to Porlyusica as soon as you can, however."

"Of course. Thanks, Uncle."

He smiled back. "No problem, Lucy." I dismissed him back to the Spirit World.

"That's a relief," Evergreen said, and I noticed she had been crying. I stood up and walked over to her, and surprised her with a hug. She hesitated, but gave in. "How long has it been?" She asked, her voice muffled against my shoulder.

"Don't know. Fifteen, twenty minutes?" I frowned. "I'm going to send Aquila to check on Laxus. _Open, Gate of the Eagle! Aquila!"_ She appeared and flew off without needing to wait for orders.

I watched through her eyes as she tore through the underbrush, following Laxus' trail. The Oracion Seis mage left a clear trail as well, visible even under Laxus' heavy sprint. She must have expected the barrier to hold us back for much longer. At last, Aquila arrived at what looked to be a battleground.

There were several large craters in the ground, and the prone form of Karen Lilica on the ground, splattered in crimson and bleeding out. The Oracion Seis member was laughing, a manic grin on her face, and the twin spirits I recognized as Gemini next to her. They shifted and melded together, shimmering and reappearing as Freed. I saw Laxus stiffen, and glare at her with hate in his eyes.

"It was a trap..." I murmured. Evergreen made a questioning noise. "Karen Lilica's job request, it was a fake. Just to get a Celestial Mage out in the middle of nowhere, with no backup, alone. So she can kill her and take her keys."

I dismissed Aquila and grit my teeth, righteous anger lifting my voice to a shout.

"Lilica is an awful summoner, but a criminal would be worse. They make me _sick."_ I spat, old conversations with Aquarius and Capricorn floating up to the front of my mind. _Are my mother and I the only sane summoners in the world?_ Evergreen seemed surprised by my actions. I turned to her. "She's using her copy spirit to fake being Freed. It's a cruel move. I'm going to help: stay here, yeah?"

"Right."

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Capricorn! Cancer!" _My outfit shimmered and shifted, replaced by Capricorn's usual black suit. I opened his gate all the way, and my hair glowed white, pulled back in a low, tight ponytail. Cancer's only change was a pair of sunglasses, as he was weaker than Capricorn, and his gate was not open all the way.

My magic began to drain at an incredible speed, which is why a double partial summon is always a risky move. I usually only use it for blitz attacks, or when I know I'll be absolutely safe after the fight. But I summoned them both for their speed, nothing else; I needed to get there, _quick,_ if I wanted to be of any use.

As I sprinted through the forest, following Laxus' and the dark mage's trails, I cursed at myself for not having completed the Banishment spell yet. If I had, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. Unlike most fast travel and teleportation spells, a summoning and, therefore, a banishment, would be able to bypass runic barriers. I felt like a fool for just abandoning my work on the spell for this past month, just because I hit a snag.

At last I broke through the undergrowth and onto the battleground. It was worse than it was when I looked through Aquila's eyes. Trees were uprooted, Lilica was nowhere to be seen, and the dark mage was livid.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Aquila!" _I arched my wings and flapped with the wind, increasing my speed even more. The strain of maintaining a triple partial summon was exhausting, as I felt my muscle scream against me, and blood pound against my skull. The human body was not meant to hold the essence of three immortal beings.

I hurtled through the air at terrifying speeds and formed twin daggers in my hands. The Oracion Seis mage turned to me with shock etched onto her face before I smashed into her, one dagger ripping across her stomach. Losing all control, I tumbled forwards and smacked face-first against a tree. My partial summons disippated almost immediately. The dark mage didn't look much better, one of her fake wings crushed underneath her, but she stumbled to her feet and swore.

"Oracion Seis will not forget this! _Open, Gate of the Chariot! Auriga!" _A large, horse-pulled chariot manifested in the air in front of her, with a near-naked lady in the front seat holding the reins. The dark mage vaulted in and took off. Laxus swore and stumbled over to me.

"Freed! Is he okay?"

_I'm alright, too, Laxus. Just smashed my face into a tree. S'alright._

"He'll make a full recovery in a couple months," I moaned. "And Lilica?"

"Course he would!" Laxus smirked, as if he wasn't terrified a moment ago. I saw through him. "And, she, ah..."

_"Where is my Master!" _A voice screamed, terrified. I turned my still pounding head to look at a new Celestial Spirit, who I recognized from Capricorn's teachings as Leo the Lion. He wore a suit much like Capricorn's, sunglasses a shade lighter than Cancer's, and his bright, spiky hair hung down to his neck. He turned to look at us. _"Where is she?!"_

"If you're talking about Karen Lilica," Laxus' gruff voice sounded. "She was just murdered by Angel of the Oracion Seis. We're Fairy Tail, we couldn't get here early enough. I'm, ah, sorry." Laxus sounded awkward, unaccustomed to screaming Spirits. He pointed towards a fallen tree, and I turned, and saw Karen Lilica's fallen body.

Leo wailed, a sound of regret and pain. I knew she was an awful master, but spirits often get attached regardless. I sighed.

Then, Leo vanished in a flash of light. I blinked, it seemed a little sudden, but I didn't know the protocol for Celestial Mages who died. And I was equally surprised when Capricorn appeared right next to me, forcing his own Gate open.

"Uncle, what happened?" I asked.

"Leo disobeyed his Master," he began. "She abused her spirits, and Leo tried gaining leverage over her by staying in the Human World for months." He paused. "Actually, come with me. The King is about to pass judgment."

I blinked. "Into the Spirit World? I've only been there twice."

He nodded his head. "I have an idea."

* * *

Two weeks later I left the Spirit World and appeared in front of Fairy Tail. I smiled softly to myself and opened the doors to the Guild, despite it being nearly midnight. I walked in, over the runic barrier that keeps non-members out past 'office hours,' and strode over to the hospital wing. I gently opened the door and softly maneuvered my way over to Freed's bed.

"Hey, guys," I murmured, sitting across from Evergreen, who's chair was pushed against the wall. She sat on it sideways, and smiled at me. Laxus, who lay on his back on the side table, just grunted in response.

Freed opened his eyes to look at me. "If it hadn't been for that spirit of yours telling us you'd be gone for a while, we would've thought you had died."

I laughed to myself, quietly. "It's kind of a long story, do you really want to hear it?"

"Of course we do," Evergreen said, smiling.

"First, how are you, Freed?"

"Surprisingly well," Freed smiled. "That - Capricorn, was it? Is very skilled. Porlyusica said I'll be up and walking in a couple weeks. A little something like getting stabbed is no big deal," he said, and I giggled lightly. "What happened on your end?"

"Guess I should start from the beginning." I cleared my throat. "So a few months back, Karen Lilica was abusing her spirits. One spirit in particular: Aries, the Ram. Aries has always had self-confidence issues, and Lilica took advantage of that. Guild Master Bob saw this, and told her to cut it out. She gets angry, accuses Aries of snitching on her, and begins to assault her."

Evergreen swallowed. "Ouch."

"Yeah. Ouch. She decided to force Aries to stay in the human world for a week as further punishment, because that would drain her magic and make her sick. Leo, her other Zodiac Key, saw this and stepped in. Aries went back to the Spirit World, and Leo gave Lilica an ultimatum: break off their contracts, or he would stay in the human world as long as it took, draining _her _of magic.

"This was a few months ago. Lilica had finally just ran out of money, but with Leo summoned, she had no spare magic and couldn't take any jobs. She finally had to, as she refused to break off the contracts, so she ended up in the Featherhaven Forest, in Angel's trap. She tried a double summon, to summon Aries as well, but she didn't have the magic and collapsed.

"Leo was brought to an audience with the Spirit King, and since he indirectly caused the death of his summoner, the King decreed that he broke the first law of all Celestial Spirits, and should be banished from the Spirit World, where he would last for a few years before withering away and dying."

Evergreen gasped, and even Laxus widened his eyes. Freed spoke, saying, "that's, ah, harsh."

"Yeah, it is. Anyways, there's more to the story. So, all the Celestial Spirits gathered together to listen to the Spirit King's pronouncement. I got to come as well, because of these," I raised my Shackles in the air. "Apparently, and Uncle Capricorn never told me this, anyone who is given a gift by a Celestial Spirit also gains a title: Star Gazer. Which means I can enter the Spirit World whenever I wish.

"When I was there, I stood in between Uncle and the Phoenix, a Lost Spirit. Phoenix, Draco the Dragon, and Hydra are known as the Three Lost Spirits, because no one knows where their keys are. He spoke to me, and told me that his key wasn't as lost as people may think. I don't know what he meant by that; he seems... eccentric. I had something more important to do, first, though.

"When the Spirit King announced his decision, I... ah... disputed his claim that Leo was in the wrong."

Laxus leaned forward and looked me in the eyes. "You called the king of an immortal, powerful race a liar in front of his entire kingdom?"

I blushed. "Maybe... Anyways, I mentioned that a contract between Spirit and Mage is a two-way deal. Leo may have disobeyed his master, but his master abused her spirits. He was attempting to save his friend through pacifistic ways, and Lilica ran off and got herself killed. I also said that, yes, he broke the Law, but if he died he would never get a chance to repent. He should live so he can make up for his actions through service to the Contract." I blushed again. "So, I, ah, ended up with his Key."

I showed them my key ring, which now had Leo the Lion, Aries the Ram, Lupus the Wolf, and Caelum the Chisel.

Evergreen gaped, Laxus raised his eyebrows, and Freed spoke in an awed voice. "You argued with the Celestial Spirit King, in front of all the Celestial Spirits, _won,_ and then were _rewarded?"_

I tried to cover my flaming cheeks with my hair and hands, but failed. "Yeah," I replied in a small voice.

"Damn," Laxus murmured. "What then? It's been two weeks."

"I met a few spirits. I can't tell you anything else without breaking the contract, and I'd rather not push my luck at the moment. The details of their world are kind of kept secret."

"I see," Freed whispered, and laughed. "Actually, there was something else we would like to ask you."

I looked up at him. "What's that?"

He smiled at me. "Would you like to form a team with Ever and I? We're thinking of calling ourselves the Thunder God Tribe."

I laughed; of course they would.

"I would love to."

* * *

**A/N: Yep. Lucy replaces Bixlow for third member of the Raijinshuu. I had two choices; make her the fourth member, or replace one of the existing members with her. I didn't want a four-person Raijinshuu, Freed's the leader, and Ever is adorable, so Bixlow got cut. It hurts me to do that, cause I really, really like all three of them.**

**Bixlow is still their friend, just not a team member.**

**Another reason I chose to cut him is because I doubt my ability to write him well. It's the same reason you haven't seen much of Natsu or Gray: I love them both to death, but I'm awful at writing hyper characters. I figure I'd much rather play to my strengths and write a quality story than try to do something I can't and screw up.**

**(Also note, I'll be updating every week (usually Fridays) and maybe an extra chapter during the week if I can. The pace I had going for the first few chapters was only cause I had quite literally _nothing else to do. _Now I have Someone Who Cares, my other powerful-Lucy-centric story, as well as my life. Check it out, it's similar to this story in some ways, and completely differently in others.)**

**Anyways, hope you like the chapter. Next chapter will be called Eyes Of The Exiled.**

**Toodles. Maudlynn out.**


	6. Eyes Of The Exiled

**A/N: The time difference in the Spirit World to the Human World makes no logical sense whatsoever. One night in the SW translates to three months in the HW? _How? _And if that's the case, then how could they have a system of days matching the HW's? And when Aquarius tells Lucy she has a date, is she saying, _"hey, don't call me for another, oh, four of five months?" _So I'm just going to ignore that chapter/episode/whatever and pretend that both worlds have a matching progression of time.**

**Reven228; I have read that fanfic, but no, I'm trying to be as original as possible with the Spirits. One such unique trait with the Fly key would be the partial Summoning I mentioned. But, try as I might, I couldn't come up with _any_ other possible use for a typical Summoning of Musca. However, with most other Spirits, you'll be seeing something new; you might like what I've done with Lupus.**

**I'm a bit of a theory nerd, and that extends to the large collection of magical theory in my headcanon; where actual canon refuses to go into details on _how_ certain magical spells or properties work, I make up my own theories. This chapter is chock full of it – if you don't like it, don't worry, it'll only pop up when Lucy has a new spell she's working on.**

**At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm thanking you all again for the follows and such ^^ means a lot. Anyways, here's the first chapter _without_ a job.**

* * *

_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Chapter Five; Eyes Of The Exiled_

_Mount Tressalyn; December 25, X781_

* * *

I stumbled closer to the bonfire, yawning, and collapsed in front of it. I landed on my back; my loose, glossy blonde hair splayed around me. I wore my typical casual outfit, with a white sweater slipping off my shoulder, showing the straps of my bra and tank top underneath. My black skirt had been slowly getting shorter and shorter every day, but if anyone noticed they hadn't remarked on it. My dark leather boots stretched up to my knees, buckled tight with cold silver. I also wore a pair of obsidian-rimmed silver glasses, which gave me a light touch of the bookkeeper look, that Ever had given me this morning.

It had been a _long _six weeks, but strangely welcoming, all the same.

Freed, our Team Leader, wants us to be the strongest unit in Fairy Tail. For the past six weeks, we've been training non-stop on the slopes of this abandoned mountain, forty miles south of Tressalyn Town. It's been _Hell,_ yet the kind of Hell I could get used to.

We wake up every morning at dawn and I cook us up a massive breakfast: meat and water, mostly, some bread and greens if we can crack it. While I'm cooking Freed checks his rune-traps for captured animals, which he then kills and carries back to camp, and Ever tends to the fire and collects dead wood from the nearby trees. After our morning meal, the three of us sprint to a nearby clearing, which I've taken to calling the _Warzone. _

We then proceed to beat each other into the ground, no mercy, no holding back. The three of us give it our all in a battle royale to improve not only our combat skill, but our tactical planning as well, and rational thought under pressure. With three sides to a conflict, power does not necessarily equate to a victory. Freed usually wins, of course.

Then we separate until an hour past high noon, training on our own. I had requisitioned a set of heavy armor from Heart Kreuz' Magnolia outlet, and while it would take divine intervention to make me wear anything heavier than Capricorn's business suit to battle, that's not what I'm using it for. I wear the cold armor as a glorified set of weights, so during my exercises I'm lugging around dozens of pounds of metal. I've gotten lighter on my feet and quicker in combat, improving not only my reaction time but my skill at evasions.

Those earliest hours in the day are torture on our muscles, even though they are worth it. I'm certainly not going to be complaining when the work I've been doing these past weeks saves my life in the field.

After a quick lunch, we seperate again to work on our magic. I spend most of the time meditating like Uncle Capricorn taught me to, making my magic more and more instinctual. My magical container has been steadily growing larger and larger, due in part to this training, but also because every day I come closer to the age of maturity. I'm still only fourteen, after all.

When I'm not meditating I partially Summon my Zodiac Spirits, in an attempt to force my body to adapt to the immortals' essence. My line of thinking seems sound, and Uncle agrees that it is a valid idea. The more my body grows resistant to the wear and tear, the more Spirits I can Summon into me. I haven't made much progress, however.

When the three of us regroup for dinner, we spend the hours before sleep talking about anything and everything. I've gotten to know Freed and Ever better than even Levy and, to be honest, _anyone. _Freed even taught me some tricks with his Rune Magic; just enough to know how to toy with his barriers in case of an emergency or a last-minute change of plan during a job. Although, there was an unspoken rule not to talk about our pasts. I assumed that my new best friends had a childhood akin to the others raised in the Guild.

And I didn't want them to know I was an aristocrat. I wanted out of that shadow, and I finally succeeded; no way am I diving back in.

I suspected that Freed might have a similar background, though, considering his scholarly tendencies. He reminded me of some of my old teachers, although much sweeter and less prone to bore me. I didn't prod, though. I certainly wasn't divulging my secrets. Although, on the sixth night of our training exile, he did tell me what he was writing down in his pocket journal.

"Lucy? Come over here, if you would."

"Uh huh," I mumbled, dragging myself over to him. Unlike Freed and Evergreen, I wasn't used to this torture/training. When I was within five feet of the Rune Mage I ragdolled and tumbled to the earth. My voice came out muffled from the ground. "What is it?"

"I've been coming up with a list of Eye Magics you might be interested in," he began, dropping into scholar mode. "It's kind of our thing, you see. Evergreen here has Stone Eyes, so anyone she makes eye contact with is turned to stone. I liked the idea, so I infused my eyes with my Dark Ecriture, speeding up my spellcasting. So I-"

"Wait, wait," I interrupted him, pulling myself upright. "Infusion? Like, permanantly enchanting an object with a spell's effect?"

Freed blinked. "Yes, but different. I work it like a switch."

"Huh..." I bit my lip, mind racing. Something clicked, and I smiled warmly. I tackled Freed and laughed happily; he froze, uncomfortable. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you! That solves it!" I leapt to my feet and spun around, excited.

"I think you broke her, Freed," Ever commented. When I had finally calmed down, I fell into my own version of Freed's scholar mode, which I had picked up from Uncle Capricorn.

"Did I ever mention my Banishment spell?"

"Ah, no," Freed replied.

"Alright, I'll start from the beginning. So several months ago I had an idea, after hearing about teleportation from some mage, don't remember who. I thought about my own magic; the Spirits, in a way, teleport from their world to ours, with unerring accuracy. So I broke down the process of a Summoning to understand it better.

"The first thing that happens is the opening of the Gate, which is basically a doorway between Earthland and the Spirit World. It is a tunnel connecting the two worlds through the Void, so the Spirits can cross over safely. In a partial Summon, I prop open the Gate, which costs less magic, but follows the same idea. This is all irrelevant though, because the Banishment spell I wanted to create is to travel from somewhere in Earthland to somewhere in Earthland.

"So the second thing that happens in a Summoning is the Evocation: the calling out of the Spirit's name. I hold a long rope in my hands, and throw one side of the rope through the Gate into the Spirit World. By calling out the Spirit's name, they – under their own power – are able to find that rope, which I then pull back through the Gate and into Earthland.

"I then keep the Gate open, which costs large amounts of magic, because the Spirits are connected to their world – like a rubber band stretched too far. When it is time for the Spirits to return home, I close the gate, and the Spirit snaps back into their world. That last action, the expulsion of a Spirit from our world, is the third part of the process – the Banishment.

"So my idea was to cast a Summoning spell in reverse, but without having to open a Gate, as I intend to only transport from one place in Earthland to another place in Earthland. The spell is, in its base form, a Banishment. But that's where I hit a bit of a snag.

"You see, the Mage can only hold one side of the rope. When I'm Summoning, I hold the destination of the Summoning in my hand, and blindly throw the other side of the rope through the Gate and into the Spirit World. That's what the Evocation is for: so the Spirit can find it on its own, and grab onto it with his or her own power.

"So the first time I cast the Banishment, I held onto the side of the rope that gets Banished. I found myself falling through the sky, miles above the ground. If I didn't have Aquila, I would've died.

"The second time, I held the side of the rope that determines the destination. A chunk of someone's house was Banished, despite being in the middle of a forest, and the architecture was clearly foreign. I was lucky not to accidentally Banish some living person.

"Hence the snag. I couldn't hold onto both ends of the rope, so I didn't know what to do. But your Infusion spell gives me an idea.

"What if, instead of just holding one end of the rope, I tie it down permanently? I can hold the side of the rope that determines what gets banished, and infuse that half-ready spell directly into my eyes. So, in order to Banish myself to a location of my choosing, all I need to do is determine where I want the destination to be, 'throw' the destination side of the rope there, and let the spell do the work."

That overly long explanation was five weeks ago; every night since, Freed, Ever, and I determined how exactly we were going to infuse a half-prepared spell into my eyes. Ever was born with her Stone Eyes, so she knew many useful things about the intuition side of things. And Freed had already cast an Infusion spell onto his eyes, although the Dark Ecriture spell he used wasn't half prepared.

We quickly came up with a proper formula for the spell, which unlike the typical evocation spells used in combat, was more of a ritual.

I began by practicing infusing the banishment spell onto a stone. I dropped into a meditative trance, just like Capricorn taught me. I dipped into my magical container, releasing the magic needed, and concentrated the needed ethernano into my hands. I then placed the Banishment side of the rope (which is the symbolic way of saying that I tied one end of the spell into the item) onto the stone, and placed the destination side of the rope on the other end of the clearing. I finished the spell, and the destination 'tugged' the stone through space until the stone was at the destination.

To the three of us Raijinshuu, it appeared instantaneous. The stone shone white like a summoning Spirit – which I had explained was created from the leakage of ethernano radiating outwards from the imperfect container, the stone – disappeared – and then reappeared at the destination, once again shining white.

Ethernano is a maelstrom of energy, constantly moving and spinning around Earthland. The energy is colorless and textureless, and cannot be seen, felt, or heard. However, it takes the sheen of a specific magic – yellow for Lightning Magic, white for Celestial Magic, and so on.

The reason I, as a Celestial Mage, am not constantly shining white is because the magical container in all mages is a 'perfect' device. It is perfect in the sense that there is zero percent leakage of magic, or so close to zero as to be negligible. However, Spirits are _made_ of magic, and have no actual container; so they, like the stone or a rock or whatever it is, would shine white during my Banishing or Summoning spells.

I, too, shine white, but only during a self-Banishment, not during a Summoning. That is because a self-Banishment requires me targeting myself as an object, not as the caster, and the spell is imperfect enough to cause leakage. If I was a master of Celestial Magic, I wouldn't glow at all – but I am not quite there yet, so when I had cast the self-Banishment all those months ago and found myself falling through the sky like a meteor, I had shone white.

For four weeks I had practiced the Banishment-Infusion combination spell on random objects, practicing with it until it became instinctual. By the time December Eighteenth rolled around, I could cast it in half a second – although not on organic objects, like a leaf, or an animal.

On December Eighteenth, with Freed and Ever watching in tense anticipation, I lay on my back in a soft flower bed and closed my eyes. I easily fell into Uncle Capricorn's meditative trance, where my magical container lay waiting. I shut out the whistling of the wind, the pounding of Ever's heart, the scent of flora and everything else in the world around me. All I could sense was myself; my own heartbeat, the rushing of my own blood, my muscular and skeletal networks. I was, for a moment, alone in the universe.

I felt my magical container, which symbolically appeared to me as an orb of white light deep in my chest, although I knew it was truly an amorphous stream of energy pulsing throughout my body; similar to the pounding of blood through veins, but more chaotic. I pulled a thick strand of the ethernano from the container and threaded it into a long rope, and seperated it from the rest of the magic. I manipulated one end of the strand, which I designated the Banished end, and felt the extrasensual tickle as it pooled upwards, away from my heart, and into my eyes.

For a long moment I held it, pooling ethernano into my eyes. If I were to open my eyelids I just knew my chocolate orbs would be shining white, magical leakage from the imperfect Infusion spell. I continued to hold it, until I could pour in no more, and I tied the 'rope' down, solidifying the magic and making it permanent.

There was a long, pregnant pause after I finished the half-prepared Banishment-spell eye-Infusion. What we called the Eyes of the Exiled. Then I laughed, and leapt to my feet. I rushed towards Freed to tackle-hug him, but right before we made contact, he looked into my eyes.

The free end of the rope _reacted, _connecting with Freed's eyes and duplicating itself. The single-segmented rope with two ends morphed into a double-segmented rope with three ends, and Freed's eyes widened with surprise as he shone white and disappeared, Banished to who-knows-where.

That was a week ago.

I had been a mess, wailing in despair and self-loathing as I had believed I had killed Freed. Ever blamed herself, as when she was younger she had to acquire glasses to prevent her Eye Magic from reacting on eye contact with everyone. She believed that she should've realized that I would have the same problem, and purchase me glasses to wear _before_ the Infusion.

Two nights and a day of depressing bawling later, Freed arrived back at camp. He had been Banished miles into the sky like I had, and between his Dark Ecriture: Wings and his own Runic Teleportation spell (which can only transport him from place-to-place within his own line-of-sight), he had been able to travel from the skies above Crocus to our little camp on the slopes of Mount Tressalyn in record time.

As a form of self-punishment for my own lack of foresight into Eye Magic, I tied a strap of cloth around my eyes as a blindfold. From the morning of the twentieth when Freed returned to the morning of the twenty-fifth when us three Raijinshuu exchanged gifts, I went through my training schedule effectively blind. The battle royale, the physical training, the partial summoning training – all blind.

I acquired some new scars that I will never fully rid myself of. I didn't mind, though; after nine months in Fairy Tail I've grown an appreciation for scars. I wore mine proudly.

I was only able to finally view these scars when I rid myself of the blindfold, though, which happened this morning due to a gift from Evergreen.

"Lucy!" Ever called, hurling a package at me. I yelped and ducked, the six weeks of combat training enhancing my reflexes enough to save me from death by christmas gift. I stuck my tongue out at her – or in her general direction, I hope, as I was still blind – and crawled over to the package.

I lifted the blindfold and inspected the six-by-two inch green-and-silver wrapped box. I tore off the paper and unclasped the ornate mahogany case. My breath caught looking at the simple yet elegant obsidian-framed silver glasses, and I tore off the rest of the blindfold.

Slipping the glasses on, I could look at my two teammates for the first time in nearly a week.

"So that's what you needed Corvus for," I realized, smiling warmly. Corvus, the messenger crow, would be perfect for a last-minute shopping decision. "Your turn, Freed." I grinned. I pulled six delicately wrapped boxes from the Spirit World – the gifts we had all bought each other before the training expedition. I lightly tossed an obviously book-shaped package to Freed, and he smiled softly as he opened it.

"... Wow," he murmured, gazing at the tome in shock. I had asked Uncle Capricorn for the perfect book to get a Rune Mage, and he said that there was a Celestial Spirit language that no human knows. Bonus, it could be used in Rune Magic, making it a perfect cipher that no one but the most skilled mages with entire weeks of free time on their hands could crack.

Freed made to open the tome but Ever smacked his hand, a happy smile on her face. "Not now, you hopeless scholar! My turn!" I laughed warmly as I tossed her my gift, and she tore into it greedily.

Over the course of the morning we all opened and enjoyed the presents we had given each other. Other than the glasses, which turned out to be a combined gift from Freed and Ever, I received an individual gift from them. Ever gave me a Silver Key, Cetus the Sea Monster, and I interrupted the gift-giving by Banishing myself to the lake in the forest near Magnolia to contract him. And Freed had given me my own room in his primary house located in the third-largest city in Fiore, New Avala, where a large amount of S-Class Jobs are handed out.

Freed received the Celestial Language tome from me, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He also received a primer on Distortion Runes from Evergreen; runes that affect space and distance. He didn't know which to read first, so he switched after every chapter. Ever and I knew books were the path to the green-haired scholar's heart.

Evergreen received from Freed reservations for two to the most expensive restaurant in Fiore, where she would take a date come April. We didn't know if she'd have a guy by then, but if she didn't, she said I could have the second seat. She received from me a Spirit World cloak, black with a silver hem, trim, and Fairy Tail insignia. Its quality far exceeded anything even she owned, would never dirty, never tear, and was incredibly soft and comfortable.

For the rest of the day I practiced with my Banishment spell. I could Banish anything, although I couldn't determine where they landed. And I could Banish myself, and control where I arrived with shocking accuracy.

I Banished myself to an exact spot across the clearing, but that wasn't all. I was able to Banish myself all the way to my room in Fairy Hills, and I arrived exactly where I meant to.

The snag arrived when I tried Banishing myself to places I wasn't as familiar with. Thanks to one of the Laws of Magic, that magical matter couldn't occupy the same space as non-magical matter, I luckily never found myself embedded into a rock or tree. However, the less well I knew my destination, the less accurate my teleportations sent me. I often found myself anywhere from several feet to several stories above the ground, and quickly grew accustomed to chain-Banishing myself down to the earth beneath me. I didn't have to know a place well if it was within my sights.

I also kept a watchful eye on my magic levels after every Banishment. Apparently, self-Banishing across a clearing and self-Banishing across Fiore cost me the exact same amount of magic. The amount of ethernano spent is relevant to the amount of matter Banished. When I Banished myself alongside a tree three times as wide and several times as tall as me, I felt the drain that usually equated to Summoning Capricorn for three minutes hit me all at once. When I self-Banished only myself, it was closer to Summoning Aquila the Eagle for a handful of moments.

I also brought Ever along for the ride a couple of times. She was nervous, but when I explained the Law of Magic that stated that a piece of a thing represents a whole of a thing – basically, that there was a zero point zero percent likelihood of leaving an arm behind – she calmed considerably. It cost just over twice the amount of magic to Banish us, but that only confirmed my hypotheses.

"Ready, Luce," Freed announced, and I looked up at him from my position on my back on the soft grass. Ever had scattered the bonfire when I wasn't looking, and Freed had the last of his equipment in a stack in front of him. I accepted his hand as he pulled me to my feet. "Store the last of the gear, then we can head home."

"Yes, sir!" I teased, handling the stack of tomes, neatly packaged tents, and other gear and storing them in the Spirit World with a flash of white magic. When I was done I clapped my hands together, excited to be Banishing again – I was still giddy as a schoolgirl every time I got to use my new talent. I rested a hand on each of their shoulders' and spoke. "Ready?"

I didn't wait for an answer as we arrived on the second floor of the Guild Hall in a flash of white magic. _Home, at last._

* * *

**A/N: The Eyes of the Exiled is what I've been building the Banishment spell towards from Chapter One.**

**I decided to write this chapter a little differently, by interweaving 'show' and 'tell' writing styles. I think it came out alright; hope it wasn't too confusing.**

**Anyways, if the Infusion spell is difficult to understand, think of it like enchanting. Instead of casting a spell to, say, make you stronger, you infuse an object with the spell to make you stronger. It is (in my headcanon, at least) the entire theory behind most Holder Type Mages. So, because the Banishment spell is too complex for a human to cast it without aid, she infused her eyes with half the spell – so when she wants to Banish herself, she only needs to cast the other half of the spell.**

**Have a question, drop a review. Toodles.**

**Maudlynn out.**


	7. Rise Of The Crimson Fang

**A/N: This is the first chapter of the Crimson Fang arc, because ten chapters of random jobs is far too boring. It's a... _little_ different (read: _a lot) _then where I think you probably thought this story was going. It'll likely be three-ish chapters, then a slower chapter, then finally comes the canon timeline and Phantom Lord: which will be _very different_ from its portrayal in canon.**

* * *

_A Thousand Falling Stars_

_Chapter Six; Rise Of The Crimson Fang_

_Moon District, New Avala; July 3, X782_

* * *

"Think they'll come to you or me, Ever?"

"Thousand Jewels' says they shoot for Freed, Luce. He's lucky like that."

The three of us in the Thunder God Tribe had taken an S-Class under Laxus' name in our home city of New Avala. There had been rumors of a stealth Dark Guild holing up in the Dog District, and after an entire patrol of Rune Knights had vanished off Twistling Street the Council sent out a call to the nearby Light Guilds. Laxus saw it, signalled me through our telecommunications lacryma, and a couple Banishments later the three of us mages were at the Magic Council's New Avala Headquarters.

Freed, our team leader, did all the talking while Aquila and Musca scouted out the alleys and warehouses the Dog District was comprised of. I rested lightly on a nearby bench neighboring the Headquarters, watching through my Spirits' eyes. And Ever was waiting on the rooftops of a local butcher shop deep in the District, keeping a third set of eyes out.

After speaking with the Mayor and informing him that yes, we are Fairy Tail and no, we will not burn his city to the ground Freed stalked out of the Headquarters with a displeased glint to his usually warm royal blue eyes. I knew how much it bothered him that our dear Guild evoked such a reaction from the populace – it bothered all four of us, Thunder God and Tribe alike. Despite our team's flawless record, despite the complete lack of property damage we have _ever_ wrought, thanks to Salamander and Titania and Gildarts and Shadow Gear and -

Just... _damn._ It hurts us to see civilians look at us askance or, in the case of the local government, _fear._ Fairy Tail may be the strongest Guild in Fiore power-wise, but Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus are far, far more popular than us client-wise. I want to improve our Guild, but every time we or Laxus asks the Master or attempts to improve our reputation Makarov shuts us down.

I can understand his point-of-view far better than my teammates, but he fails to understand exactly how much the Council tolerates us. The moment the destructive tendencies of... _certain members _extends past the usefulness of the Guild as a whole, is the moment Fairy Tail scatters to the winds and Lamia Scale gains a new four-man team of fluttering fairies.

The only reason we haven't yet is our unyielding loyalty to the Guild that gave us a home when we had none. And if – no, _when_ – the Master steps down and the next generation of Fairy Tail begins, we will raise our Guild to the skies where it should have been all this time. It is only a matter of time.

Until then, we three Raijinshuu will continue to flawlessly complete S-Class after S-Class and do what little we can to reverse our reputation. Hence, the Dark Guild in New Avala.

Freed approached me and placed a gentle but shaking hand on my shoulder. I turned up to look at him and opened my warm chocolate-brown eyes, smiling up at him. I raised and settled my own delicate fingers over his own, soothing his worries.

And without any heads-up, Banished the pair of us to a rooftop in the Dog District, settling aside our Fairy Queen.

That was three nights ago.

"Hmm," I murmured. Nothing had come up searching for their Hall; so we had chosen a different tack. We were debating whether the leading team of the Dark Guild known as Crimson Fang would arrive to kidnap the Heir of House Wither-Wind, House Silver-Blood, or House Greymont like the mayor believes. It certainly fits their _modus operandi _that they've been following these past two-and-some months – every week, usually Wednesday or Thursday, Crimson Fang kidnaps a merchant or nobleman's firstborn son, demands a ten-million Jewel ransom, and makes the trade the following Saturday at midnight. "You have a point. I've been itching for a fight, though."

Most of the wealthy have fled New Avala until the... _problem_ has been resolved. These three Houses were the most prominent still in residence – or had been, until they were secreted away in the Council's local Headquarters so we three Raijinshuu can lay in ambush like so many apex predators.

Freed has decked the Manor Greymont's likely entryways in one-way Rune Traps: _they can get in, but they can't get out. _Evergreen was sipping her favorite daiquiri in the firstborn son's bedroom in Manor Silver-Blood, lying not-so-subtly in wait for the would-be abductors. Whereas I relaxed in the lacryma room of Wither-Wind Tower, the most renowned and expensive hotel in Fiore; the lacryma room was connected to video and audio lacryma lying like so many sentinels scattered around the hotel, twelve to a floor.

"Don't worry, Luce," Freed cut in to the three-way telecommunications lacryma connection. "If I or Ever see a sneak thief, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank'ee, you truly are a scholar and a gentleman," I said in mock acquiescence. "Anyways, I don't know how or when I became such a battle-nut. I blame you two." _Or when being the sole guard to **the** Wither-Wind Tower became an everyday thing for me._

"That I am," Freed mused. "I doubt they'll strike here, though; a thousand Jewels on House Wither-Wind. House Greymont specializes in Fire Magic – they're known for their power and destruction. I would assume the only reason they're not providing their own defense is the fear of torching their primary residence. But either way; Crimson Fang would be extremely foolish to kidnap the heir to a Magic House with a penchant for chaos."

"I find it exceedingly unlikely that Greymont's reputation will affect these criminals in any way, shape, or form," I disagreed. "Their lawbreaking lifestyle is not exactly the epitome of wise, well-thought-out decisions." I paused, thinking. "Thousand Jewels on Ever's place. Attacking Wither-Wind is... well; there are two-hundred and forty video and audio lacryma watching all the primary and secondary entryways. That, along with their... _other_ defenses, is something that Wither-Wind boasts about in order to scare away sneak thieves. Fang has succeeded in their gambit six times already: foolish, but skilled. Very skilled."

"Your own argument as to the abductors' lack of wisdom can be applied to that, Luce."

"Tch. True."

"I wonder what our clients would say if they heard us," Ever laughed. "Debating which one of their sons' has the highest likelihood of being abducted by murderous criminals."

_"And betting on it," _I murmured. Fairy Tail's Guild Hall is a tavern, after all; it was only a matter of time until I picked up some of my guildmates' habits. Whether or not I'm ever at said Guild Hall, these days. Had it not been for Freed and Ever's similar speech patterns, I would have lost the aristocratic clip to my voice and tilt to my bearing long ago. _Sixteen months in Fairy Tail and look at what all has changed._

"...would keep quiet so long as we complete the mission request," Freed finished. I shook off my musings: I should be focusing on the lacryma screens around me. "Nine million Jewels riding on this, Ever, Luce. And more importantly: guild pride."

"What guild?" Ever asked bitingly. "Last time I walked into the Hall, that... that... _woman _asked me what my business was. As if I was a _client,"_ she sniffed. "And she dares call herself the Fairy Queen."

I always found Ever's distaste of all things Erza both amusing and fascinating. _"Her magic has nothing to do with Fairies!" _Or, _"I've been in the guild long years before she stumbled in!" _

I knew, as Erza's friend, I should stand up for her – but I haven't held a proper conversation with the Requip Mage in half a year, at least. And we were the guild hermits, in a sense; always away on business, rarely socializing outside our team. I was still warm and the guild loved me, but there was a detachment to my visits, and the gap between them doubled every time.

I don't know when it happened, but the Thunder God Tribe became _we _and Fairy Tail became _them. _Like a guild within a guild. It bothered me at first, but now I was apathetic.

"Hey Freed, I think I've got something," I spoke aloud. One of the lacryma screens had shone red, signalling movement from someone not keyed into the wards. Hmm... _Two _someones, it seems. "Two mages in black, Crimson Fang mark on their cloaks. About time."

"You each owe me a thousand Jewels, it seems," Freed spoke, an amused slant to his words.

"Whatever, Scholar," I said, dismissing him. There was affection in my voice, though, undercutting any sting to my words. I slipped a golden key out of the Spirit World. _"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Capricorn!"_

I leapt to my feet, white magic shining off me, showcasing Uncle's latest outfit. My silver, obsidian-framed glasses reflected the magical light, causing shadows to dance upon the walls. I wore knee-high leather boots, long, crisp jeans, and an untucked button-up shirt with wrist-length sleeves, all of which was jet black. The shirt did little to hide the curve of my chest, and neither did my snowy white waist-length hair.

Dark, black eyes gazed at the glaring lacryma screen, and with a flicker of white light I vanished.

I reappeared directly behind the twin Dark Mages, a happy grin on my face. I manifested a pair of shimmering daggers and, right as the mages spun in surprise at my sudden appearance, lunged forwards. One of my knives lashed out at the mage's jugular, tearing through his skin like wet paper. The other impaled the criminal in the heart.

The two mages _hissed,_ and I startled back in surprise.

_How did that not drop them? My Shackles' phantom wounds are better than the real thing; no one can survive such a precision strike._

The two Dark Mages fought like furies, working together in perfect synchronization; as if they were telepathic, or clones of a greater foe. They each had dual daggers much like mine, but crafted of cold iron. Their skin was sallow and unhealthy, but well-muscled and toned from years of work. They fought much like me; a dancer, weaving in between strikes with a lethal grace. And they were quick, far faster than any human could be without some form of magic augmenting their agility.

I saw all this and catalogued the information, storing it away deep within my mind. No, what caught my attention was their glaring orange eyes, impossibly deep, filled to overflowing with hunger and self-hatred.

I was... _entranced._

And then a blade of whisper-sharp metal nicked my throat, and the connection was broken.

I raged right back with all the unleashed lethality of a valkyrie, ducking underneath slashes, redirecting others and responding with a lightning-quick counterstrike. Thrice I flung my daggers at the most opportune time, manifesting a fresh pair a moment afterwards. My knives tore their cloaks to shreds, sinking into flesh and severing loose strands of hair.

The hallway we fought in, right outside room 404 on the west side, was marvelously intact as I cartwheeled backwards in an elegant maneuver, evading the Dark Mages that had begun to surround me. When they neared me again, that battle-lust thick in their eyes and clouding their minds, I lashed out with a roundhouse kick that destroyed the taller one's jaw. Blood spouted from between his lips, soaking the wall and the portrait of Rune Knights' Generals.

_Black_ blood.

"Freed? Ever?" I spoke aloud, knowing my telecommunications lacryma was still on and active, just pocketed in my cloak. "This fight is getting a little..." I ducked to evade a roundhouse kick that hurtled through the air and smashed against the far wall, damaging it extensively. "Extreme. Taking this little spar to the clearing besides the waters on the outskirts of the city. Reiden Lake." A lucky shot slices clean through my collared shirt, tearing it and exposing the soft flesh beneath. (1)

Freed's worried voice cut through the sounds of fluttering cloaks and slicing blades with surprising ease. "Yes, meet you there. And Luce?" A thrown dagger impales itself into the shorter one's torso. He doesn't even notice.

"Yeah?" A short-range, controlled burst of starlight magic tears straight through the Dark Mage and rips out the other side, but the... _thing_ continues fighting on.

"Be careful, alright?" I flip backwards into a handstand, pushing off against the well-polished floorboards to vault back to my feet. Twin flung daggers seek out beating hearts: one misses, impaling a sallow shoulder; the other disrupts a chandelier across the hallway, flickering the already-sparse light.

"Right. And Freed?" I don't manifest new weaponry; instead, I rush towards my opponents bare-handed, glasses riding up my button nose. "I don't think these guys are... well. _Human."_

I clutch each of their faces, the hoods to their cloaks having long since been discarded. I pulse with pure, white light, and the Crimson Fang mages echo me with a deep, inky black; a mockery of celestial magic. With a thought, we were Banished far away from Wither-Wind Tower.

We reappear high in the sky above Reiden Lake; the three of us mages hurtling downwards like angry black and white meteors. I unhand the... creatures and kick off of them, spinning them chaotically through the sky. With a thought and a flash of pure, magical light, I chain-Banish myself into the calm waters of Reiden Lake.

I summon a golden key from the Spirit World, watching the two criminals crash into the waters, disrupting the calm and angering the still Lake. Waves splashed angrily back and forth, foaming at the surface. I see a pair of bodies sink into the deep, dismiss the comforting presence of my Uncle Capricorn, and intone; _"lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Cetus!"_

The essence of the Sea Monster fills me; I discard my human vessel and morph into a massive water snake. Cetus, he who according to the _Lost Mythos of the Thousand Gods_ was summoned by Poseidon to devour Andromeda but was slain by the hero Perseus, is one of the rare silver keys far, far more expensive magically than the Zodiac twelve.

When the white magic disippated, I was ten times larger with shining green scales and raging yellow eyes. Golden blood seeped from my mouth, dagger-sharp incisors biting into soft gums. I lacked limbs, but my serpentine body had no trouble navigating the clear lake. I dove deep into the waters, catching the desperately convulsing Dark Mages of Crimson Fang in my teeth. I swam upwards, breaking through the barrier between elements in moments.

We launch through the sky from the sheer momentum of my powerful form. Once our graceful arc turns groundwards, I dismiss the silver Partial Summoning and three humanoid forms crash into the ground. I roll with the fall, tumbling backwards and vaulting to my feet in one smooth movement. I have practiced that exact technique for long hours, these past months.

_"How in the hells..." _I murmur, as the forms of my opponents stagger to their feets and glare at me with shining yellow eyes filled with hatred and... hope? They lurch towards me dangerously, the taller one missing the lower part of his left leg, the other hardly recognizable from the matted hair and black blood. _"There is something seriously wrong, here."_

I cleared my throat, summoning the key for Leo the Lion into my off-hands; more for comfort than anything else. His key was warm to the touch, standing by me in spirit if not form.

"Um, hello? You in there?" I backed away from the shuffling zombie-like mages, keeping a minimum of twenty feet away from at all times. "Seriously, what kind of mages are you?"

_"We're not mages at all," _a melodious, hauntingly beautiful voice emenated from the slack-jawed foe. He collapsed onto his knees, planted his face into the ground, twitched, and stilled.

_"We're the Thralls of the Crimson Fang," _the same voice resounded from the standing... thrall. The sound echoed slightly, eerie and aristocratic. I halted my hesitant backpedal. _"This body has been dead for months, Lucy Ashley."_

I swallowed down a rush of fear and disgust. I manifested a single gleaming, black knife in my main hand, the cool phantom metal comforting me. As the Thrall neared me, the blade shined and expanded, becoming a long, thin trench knife with a tapered point. With a mechanical motion and a numbness to my mind, the flung dagger pierced the air and found its way into the Thrall's neck.

He – it – dropped instantly.

"Wherever the sick bastard that is responsible for these abominations is," I murmured to myself. I breathed deep; in, out, in, out. "I will find her, and I will destroy her."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, now is it?" The same haunting voice inquired, and I spun to see a small maelstrom of shadow spin and gyrate in the field across from me.

After a moment it faded, leaving behind a drop-dead gorgeous woman with waist-length, gleaming auburn hair, piercing blood-red eyes, and milky white skin. Her features were aristocratic, with high cheekbones and slanted eyes. She wore a black business suit much like the kind I wore when partially summoning my Uncle Capricorn, but trimmed in bloody red along the hem. Over her button-down jet-black shirt was a cloak that seemed to consume shadows, darkening the air around her. It fluttered in the air behind her as she walked over to me, and I spied the Crimson Fang mark on the back of it.

"You know what Thralls are, Lucy Ashley? No? They're the animated bodies of non-magical humans I've Turned. Of course, when I Turn a mage, they become like _me._ Bound to my will and like salivating puppies, yes, but a Vampire all the same."

It dawned on me that Crimson Fang isn't a Dark Guild at all; it is her personal moniker. The Rune Knights that went missing on Twistling Street? Likely new Thralls. The heirs of the six Magic Houses that were abducted and returned for a ransom? I wouldn't be surprised if they had been Turned as well. This isn't a money-making scheme; it's a hostile take-over.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her, watching her warily as she stalked ever closer to me. I summoned my Uncle Capricorn's key into my other hand; the two Zodiac spirits primed and ready for a fight, watching her through my chocolate eyes. "It doesn't help you any."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong;" the Crimson Fang spoke, her voice deep and sultry, seductive and low. She came to a stop ten paces away from me and grinned; her fangs gleaming in the starlight, sharp enough to cut the very air. "You're far more powerful than the other mages I've Turned. Maybe I'll make you my second-in-command?"

I couldn't say what the cue was, but at precisely the same moment the two of us spurred into violent action: twin orbs of flame manifested above upraised palms and were hurled at me with intent to kill; and a call of _"Open! Twin Gate of the Goat and the Lion!" _had my most powerful spirit in my arsenal Summoned onto the field.

The concept of a Twin Summoning is one of the more advanced forms of Holder Type Celestial Magic; a single, massive Gate is opened in the Void, and from the Spirit World two Spirits come through to the Human World and share a body. In the case of Capricorn and Leo, the Tactician and the Leader of the Zodiac Twelve, the form is lethal and vicious.

CapriLeo – LeoCorn? - is an eight-feet-tall humanoid Minotaur, with bone-white horns sticking out from a mane of dark orange hair. The slanted eyes were black and glaring, with a pulsing sclera of deep red. The Minotaur wore a business suit much like the ones Capricorn and Leo wore to a fight, black and crisp, showing taut muscles in a powerful body. Surrounding his palms were blackened yellow orbs of light, flickering with barely controlled power.

The Summon shrugged off the fireballs like they were nothing, and charged towards the Vampire. I fell to my knees from the strain of holding the Gate open; after the intense fight with the Thralls, then Partial Summoning the Sea Monster, I was dead tired. I watched CapriLeo give chase to the Vampire through heavily lidded eyes, but I paused too soon.

In front of me the same flickering maelstrom of shadows manifested into existence, and I swore under my breath. The Crimson Fang walked confidently out of the shadows, an amused expression on her face. The Minotaur spun around and came rushing back, but was too slow to stop the fallout.

I couldn't see them at the time, but Freed and Ever had just arrived on dual pairs of wings. They saw my summon too far away to do anything, and faced the same problem. Rage and dismay warred across their faces as they dove towards me as fast as they could.

It was too late, though. The Vampire sunk her fangs into my soft, pale neck, stealing my humanity and Turning me into one of _her kind._

And with a rush of shadows, we disappeared.

* * *

**A/N: Surprise!**

**Bet you weren't expecting THAT! Pow! **

**Yep. Lucy got turned into a Vampire. Maybe it's permanent, maybe it's not. You'll have to wait and see.**

**Toodles. Maudlynn out.**


	8. Enslaved To The Crimson Fang

**A/N: Vampires are not considered 'dead' in this fic; they are considered near-human magical creatures. As such, they have a pulse and breathe, although they don't _need to,_ per se. Every Vampire is made different; what is easy for one is impossible for another.**

******A/N2: (3/28/14): Lucy kind of... evolved into something I wasn't quite expecting, and the primary pairing for this story is now FreedxLucy. The romance will pick up come the end of the Crimson Fang arc; chapter ten-ish. I expect this story to be very long, and it will develop slowly.**

* * *

_A Thousand Falling Stars _

_Chapter Seven; Enslaved To The Crimson Fang_

_New Avala; August 3, X782_

* * *

There was a burst of vibrant white light; and I appeared, standing alone on the rooftop of Kardia Cathedral.

There was a chill to the wind, rushing hither and thither, snaking across the stone and granite and metal of Magnolia's oldest buildings. I stalked to the edge of the structure, knee-high black leather boots silent against the din of city-life, even this late at night. The starlight did little to illuminate me: not my deep, unholy crimson eyes, nor my gleaming fangs, milky white skin, and jet-black cloak fluttering in the wind. Once, I wore Fairy Tail's mark; now, I wore the Mistress' insignia in crimson.

It's been a month to the day since I've been Turned by the Mistress. I couldn't remember much of my life before that; only the haziest of memories, whispered conversations, and the slightest of details. It all felt... _impersonal;_ as if all _that_ happened to someone else, and I only bore witness to it in my dreams.

Not that I dreamt, ever; Vampires don't sleep. Sleep is a human trait, and the Mistress made it _very clear_ that I am no longer a human, if I ever was.

My senses were enhanced to levels far beyond any human's: my sight rivalled Aquila's, able to pick out the finest of details at a hundred yards; my hearing surpassed that of Canes Venatici, able to hone in on the heartbeat of my prey; and my taste... the masses radiated their emotions, and I could taste them clouding the air. Fear, lust, desire, rage: I could taste them all.

While incredibly useful in my... line of work, there are downsides. Ultrasensitivity forces me to balance on a knife's edge. Sudden noises affect me far more than my human counterparts, and a piercing shriek can drop me without so much as a fight. The stench of a crowd can clog my throat, making me nauseous. While in the past a bright light caused me to sneeze, nowadays I am blinded for long minutes while I chaotically seek out a shadow to hide in. Even sunlight burns me, though I am not as affected as the Thralls are.

My body was also augmented: my agility has skyrocketed to new heights, as if Cancer is permanently partially Summoned; my dexterity is just short of precognition, reflexes honed to levels I could've only dreamed of; and a supernatural strength I could _never_ achieve without copious amounts of magic. On the flipside, however, I have become even more fragile; I now rely completely on evasions, deflections, and misdirections, as a single precision strike is enough to potentially end the fight.

I've become vulnerable to sunlight and flames, with a shocking resistance to the cold. With my hood up, I can walk during the daylight hours without fear, and even without it's more of an annoyance than an actual weakness. However, I cannot regenerate or recuperate in any way; I will progressively become more and more tired, unable to recharge my stamina, energy, or magical container.

The aspect of Vampirism that makes the... _gift_ truly extraordinary, though, is the immortality. Short of dying in combat, a Vampire will live forever; the Mistress is older than even Zeref. I will continue to physically age until I arrive at my most appealing form, but once there, I become frozen in time.

When I reflect on that I feel... empty. Before the Turning, I probably would've feared outliving all my friends-turned-family; or I would've loved being beautiful forever. But now... it's as if all my emotions and desires have been ripped out of me; or locked in a box and hidden deep in my mind. All that's left is the urge to fulfill the desires of the Mistress, the one who Turned me. I'm little more than a vessel, a slave to do Her bidding.

The thought should terrify me, but it doesn't. The ability to be terrified is locked away, squashed undeneath the commands of the Mistress, and she holds the key.

I understood why the Thralls held hope in their eyes, right before I destroyed them. This half-life is miserable, without the ability to actually be miserable. It's a void: empty, lifeless.

The only thing that can fill this void is the Bloodlust.

Other than the compulsion I am under to obey the Mistress, the Bloodlust is the only trait to my existance that can make me well and truly _feel. _It is a sickening desire, but one I cannot help but quench. My mind will dwell on it, and I become more and more frantic and beastial the more I deny myself; afterwards, the void where my heart once was relaxes under the rush of euphoria.

Looking through my cloudy memories, I become aware that I have never taken a life. Fairy Tail always has been very clear about that; that everyone, even the lowest of criminals, should be offered a chance at redemption. I used to believe that. I don't anymore. Human Lucy would be disgusted by what I've became; thrice in this past month I have hunted down and drank the lifeblood of an innocent human. They have become my own Thralls: and I call them One, Two, and Four.

If I could feel guilt, I would.

I peered over the edge of the rooftop of Kardia Cathedral. I settled down on the edge, kicking my feet back and forth in the empty air. The wind caressed my face, and I cleared my mind. This was peace; one of the rare moments of complete relaxation I have come to depend upon in my short tenure as a slave to the Mistress.

I could use all the peace I can get: I was about to do something so against Human Lucy's moral code, I can _never_ go back. But what other choice did I have? The Mistress commanded it, and I must obey.

With a sigh, I dropped off the edge of Kardia Cathedral, down to the city street below.

* * *

The Rune Ward surrounding Fairy Hills glowed a dangerous emerald as I attempted to cross it.

I frowned; as a member of Fairy Tail, even if it is a technicality at this point, I should be admitted entrance. I glanced behind me and to the sides – _all clear._ I dipped a single, long finger into the line of runes, and began to draw.

After nearly ten months taking jobs and training as the third member of the Raijinshuu, I've became more than adept at dealing with Runes. And this Rune Ward was one of Freed's earlier works; he hasn't updated it in _years._ Manipulating the laws and contingencies set into the Ward, I quickly isolated the rule preventing me from entering the building.

Ah. Yes – I _do _have malevolent intent, don't I? Abduction with intent to infect with a life-changing disease and enslave for the next couple of hundred years is certainly considered 'malevolent intent.' Clever use of runes, that; effective and wide-ranging.

I nibbled lightly on my soft, pink lips; it would take me a couple of minutes to isolate _that_ particular strand of Runes and alter it to allow me access. And Freed, upon determining _precisely how_ someone managed to bypass his Rune Ward, would discover that it was me who had done it. The Mistress ordered me to not give myself away to the Guild.

I was just about to begin pacing to somehow divine an answer when said answer came to me in the form of an epiphany; I ran a hand across my face, embarrassed that I didn't think of it earlier. Luckily, no one witnessed this shameful display of idiocy.

My eyes glowed a searing white, flecked with Vampiric strands of inky black, and my body shone a fainter shade. I Banished myself, and reappeared on the other side of the Rune Ward. I could have Banished myself to my old room, but I haven't been there in months; it was likely no longer familiar, thereby eradicating any semblance of teleportational accuracy I would like to have. Shaking my head, I silently stalked up the stairs and towards a certain room I've only once been inside of.

Nearing the white, wooden door, I pressed an ear to the thick material and listened. Hearing nothing, I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I ran through strategies in my mind, summoning several, plotting out pros and cons of each, and dismissing the vast majority of them.

Freed may have been the team's leader, but I was our tactician. Having a magic who's sole strength lies in its diversity, I quickly became a master of running through several game plans in my mind at a moment's notice. Would _this_ key work better or _that_ key? What would happen if I mixed the effects of key C with key F?

What I discovered a number of weeks ago, is that there is more than one way to partial Summon a Spirit; hell, there is more than one way to typical Summon a Spirit. By altering the mechanics of the Gate, I can create effects never before seen on Earthland.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Musca!"_

Compressing to the size of a fly, I zipped underneath the doorway of the Fairy Hills dorm room. I dismissed the partial Summon once I reached the other side, expanding back to my usual form. I stretched my fingers, and twin, phantasmal daggers manifested in my open palms. I took one step closer to the bed, and then another, and -

A screaming blade materialized in the air and, with a telekinetic _push,_ rocketed towards me. I spun to the side, Vampiric-augmented dexterity saving my half-life. The sword clipped past me, driving itself straight through the wall, buried hilt-deep in the plaster.

With two lightning-quick movements, my daggers flung towards the now-standing Fairy Queen. She twisted, evading both hurtling knives, and shone with a Requip, ethereal glow. She reappeared in her Flight Armor, her form now taking up an inordinately large amount of space in the cramped room. I cartwheeled back to avoid a slash of her oversized blade, and kicked the door down to backpedal to safety.

I flipped backwards onto my hands, and pushed off to vault to my feet a number of yards down the hall. Erza Scarlett Requiped to twin trench-knives, longer and thicker than mine, and moved to strike at me once again.

_"Lu-chan?"_

I stilled, struck cold. I knew, if I were to turn around, I would see Levy's fearful visage. Despite being frigid and emotionless now – despite caring only for the Bloodlust and the Mistress – I couldn't look. I just couldn't.

My hesitation cost me, as a blade screamed through the air and sliced a bloody furrow across my cheek. Thick, black liquid trailed down my creamy white skin, across my jaw, and splattered onto the floor.

I jolted to my senses, rushing across the hallway towards my prey. My speed was augmented by my Vampirism, and I ducked underneath a second telekinesis-powered blade. I shone white with flecks of black, Banishing myself and reappearing behind the Titania. I lashed out with a hand and clutched the redhead close, holding her tight.

The last thing I saw as I Banished the two of us away from Fairy Hills was Levy's betrayed face.

* * *

In an unnamed forest in the heart of Fiore, there lies a crack in the ground from an earthquake that struck centuries ago. The Scar of the World, as it is commonly referred to as, is thirteen miles long and is at its largest segment two miles wide. In the northern segment of the Scar, there is a pathway down into the heart of what the Mistress calls the Cavern, known only as the Shattered Pass. _(1)_

The Cavern is a large open area, easily massive enough to fit a small village. It is located in an air pocket in the crystal-clear river at the bottom of the Scar that formed from rain water over the long years. One side of the cavern is what appears to be an underground lake, but is in actuality connected to the River. The other side is a smooth, black stone floor in the shape of a crescent moon, ringing the Lake. The rounded dome surrounds and encloses the Lake and the dry ground, broken only by three doorways: one leads to the Shattered Pass; another leads to the Vault of hoarded jewels, gold, and artifacts; and the third leads to the Mistress' Quarters.

We reappeared inches above the smooth, black stone ground of the Cavern. We tumbled across the earth, as I rolled with the momentum and vaulted to my feet several yards away. Erza collapsed against the hard floor, but leapt to her feet a moment later. She shook for little more than a half-second: impressive, as the first time Banishing is always nauseating.

I snagged two silver keys from the Spirit World, and felt the shocking coldness of the Spirits' disapproval. They hated my enslavement to the Mistress, and desired to free me; but as they couldn't – or wouldn't – disobey me, they followed my criminal commands regardless. I incanted, _"Open! Twin Gate of the Crow and the Sea Monster!"_

There was a burst of white light, traced with black strands, that had me covering my eyes against the glare. When I blinked away the afterimages, one of my strongest Summons was flying through the air towards my opponent.

Cetus the Sea Monster, well over fifty feet long with gleaming, sea-green scales, raging yellow eyes, and dagger-sharp white fangs dripping with golden ichor, was upgraded. No longer the Beast of the Seas, he now had four sets of massive, jet-black wings across his serpentine body. The Spirit Corvus was in control of the powerful, beating wings, augmented with traces of Wind Magic to keep the monster aloft, while the Spirit Cetus bared fangs with intent to kill.

Erza's eyes widened comically as she jerked sideways to evade the monster's lunge. She summoned three dozen swords from her Requip space, arched behind her and aimed at my Twin Spirit. When the Sky Monster twisted around for another go, she unleashed the coiled legion of blades.

The Sky Monster could easily avoid the blades, considering the speeds they're capable of. I smirked as I watched the knives, swords, and axes hurtled through the air towards my Twin Spirit. I laughed softly as the edged weaponry neared the powerful Summon.

And I gasped as Corvetus refused to dodge the array of weapons, as they sunk and impaled themselves through his cold, yet powerful, scales. I grit my teeth, irritated, as the Twin Spirit fell to the black stone flooring. Erza blinked at it, surprised the fight was so simple.

With a wave of my hand, I dismissed the disrespectful Spirits.

I knew the Spirits hated my enslavement; my Uncle Capricorn even went so far as to blame himself. Time and time again they attempted to debate with me, to break my unbreakable chains to the Mistress. Leo went so far as to force his Gate open and reason with Her. When his reasoning inevitably failed, he attempted to attack her. He lost.

What I _did not_ expect was for the Spirits to disobey my commands and purposefully _lose_ in a fight. Such a thing never factored into my numerous ideas and theories as to the outcome of the fight; it defied any and all expectations.

Tch.

I snagged a third silver key from the Spirit World, replacing the keys of Cetus the Sea Monster and Corvus the Crow with the key of Musca the Fly.

Musca is, by far, the weakest of all the Celestial Spirits. He cannot speak, and his only known use is spywork; the Summoner can see through his rather bulbous eyes. It is an incredibly useful ability, and his Gate is remarkably small: keeping his Gate open for hours on end is perfectly viable. I discovered, in the journals that Capricorn gave me, that partial Summoning him can downsize the Mage into a fly. But that's not all he can do.

I discovered his third ability back in June, which led me to a string of discoveries for not only Musca, but all my keys. I was free-writing in one of my journals, marking down ideas as they came to me, and logically trying to divine new spells.

If spells were short stories, then my work on the Banishment spell is my _magnum opus;_ the single work I've created which exceeds all other spells and abilities I've crafted in the wide-ranging field of Celestial magic. It is completely and utterly unique to me, and there I nothing else I'm prouder of.

And it came to me by reversing the relatively simple process of a general Summoning. So what will happen if I reverse the prospect of a partial Summoning? Instead of propping the Gate partly open, I open it all the way and augment it with _additional magic?_

_"Open! Gate of the Pestilential Flies! Musca!"_

There were two worlds, and a Void in between. A Gate materialized: a tunnel from World to World. The Gate widened, expanding ever larger; far too large for any Fly Spirit to need. I payed the magical toll to open the Gate; I payed the magical toll to keep the Gate propped open; I cast all that magic, and expended even more.

A single fly was Summoned into the Human World in a flash of white light... then two flies... three, four, five...

There was a series of popping sounds, of tiny bursts of white magic followed by the appearance of a copy of the littlest of all the Spirits. Titania watched in morbid fascination as the weak little creature I summoned to spy on those bandits eighteen months ago multiplied into a swarm of gnawing, pestilential monstrosities.

Before long, there were uncountable thousands of the littlest spirits. They were twisted, warped: with gleaming fangs dripping with saliva, sounding a chorus of buzzing that echoed across the smooth enclosure of the Cavern and reverberated dangerously.

"Attack."

The plague of pestilential flies swarmed Titania, as she ineffectually spawned blades to swing forth and dispatch the little monstrosities. Her attacks were useless; for every fly to fall, a hundred took its place. They gnawed at her armor, tore at her hair, bit through her skin. They drove with as much momentum as they could manage straight into her skin, impacting against her in suicide attacks.

She quickly changed tack, bursting with white light and reappearing decked out in her Flame Empress Armor. The cool metal was predominantly dark red in color, but also sporting orange parts shaped like flames and jet-black spots reminiscent of a Dragon's limbs. It was tri-segmented: the breastplate, the gauntlets, and the greaves. The breastplate lacked pauldrons, revealing Titania's shoulders, and extending down but failing to cover her legs. The gauntlets and greaves were draconic in nature, with claw-like protrusions. Her hair was tied into a pair of high, long tails, resembling dragon's horns, trailing across her draconic metal wings.

She held a deep, red longsword in her hand, which burst into flame. She spun and she danced, twirled and set the swarm of flies alight with hellfire. The flies were immolated, and I hissed, rearing away from the cursed heat.

What seemed like moments later, with the vast majority of the Spirits dealt with, she turned to me and noticed my adverse reaction to her fire. Her smile was grim, as she stalked closer to me. I dismissed the Pestilential Flies; or the few who survived, anyways. I took a step back, away from the slowly advancing Fairy Queen.

"Why, Lucy?" The S-Class Mage asked me. I swallowed nervously. "Why would you turn on your own guildmates? What happened to you?"

I licked my lips in a sudden bout of nervousness; my fangs gleamed in the lowlight of the lacryma embedded in the ceiling of the Cavern's dome. Erza watched me sadly, seeing my glaring blood-red eyes, fangs, and milky white skin. When she saw the mark of the Crimson Fang on my cloak, she came to a decision.

"Was it something we did? No," she shook her head. She began to walk towards me again, but I didn't move. "Something happened to you, didn't it? I'm sorry we weren't there to protect you. It doesn't have to be this way, though. Just talk to me. Please, Lucy."

There was a long pause, broken only by the titter-tatter of water droplets falling into the Lake.

Scenarios ran through my mind; the Mistress ordered me not to talk. I'd assuredly be punished. But...

"I didn't want to!" I blurted out. My voice was low: deeper and sultrier than it had ever been. I took a step back and dropped into a combat stance, suddenly afraid. "The Mistress Turned me. I do what she says – _whatever she says._

"She told me to capture and subdue _you, _Erza. So I will."

The Fairy Queen nodded her head in acquiescence, a tired look to her features. "I feared as much," she spoke. "Some form of possession or enslavement. I apologize, Lucy. I'll just have to beat it out of you."

I swallowed, but my mouth was suddenly dry. I pulled two keys out of the Spirit World: one golden, one silver. My hands were sweaty, and I held tight to the near-freezing coldness of the keys.

They did not feel comforting. But they could not disobey a partial Summoning, when I am in control.

_"Lend me your power, from beyond the Gate! Leo! Lupus!"_

My waist-length bonde hair darkened to a lion's deep orange streaked with a scruffy gray, gleaming dark in the flickering lowlight, and gathered into messy spikes. My obsidian-framed silver glasses darkened, giving the world a reddish tint. My Crimson Fang cloak was discarded, replaced by a jet-black button-down collared shirt untucked over slightly torn jeans. The silver clasps on my black leather boots deepened to a shining orange. A headband held the hair out of my eyes, and written on it in block letters was the message: _"FREE ME!"_

Erza looked up at it and smirked, so I tore it off. I eyed it with a curious combination of amusement and something unnameable. I dropped it on the floor and stomped on it. It blashphemed against the Mistress.

"Multiply," I incanted, and Lupus' unique ability activated. Like Leo, Lupus augmented my agility and dexterity; unlike Leo, that's not all he could do.

Wolves are known for their pack mentality, and a clone of me appeared on either side of me. The three of us charged Erza as one: I manifested twin phantasmal daggers in my Shackles of Andromeda, whereas the clones – unable to copy the Stellar Artifact – illuminated their hands in a white glow.

Lupus' clones flanked Titania while I fought her head-on. Between the enhancement provided by Leo and Lupus, and the inherent augmentation due to my Vampiric nature, I was a force to be reckoned with. But I, along with most other mages in Fairy Tail, am convinced Erza is superhuman: she kept up with me. She wasn't quite as fast, but superior bladework was more than enough to tip the scales in her favor.

I was still barely fifteen, though; Erza is three years my senior. After abducting Titania out of her bed in the middle of the night, Twin Summoning my most expensive Spirit with Corvus, and Elite Summoning Musca – I was _damn tired._ I hadn't been expecting my Twin Summon to quit without leaving so much as a scratch on her, and Pestilential Musca is more of a crowd-control summon.

Not much else I could've done, though. Musca is my only Spirit who has been properly obeying me, this last month. My hands were bound.

_"Use the flames, Erza!"_

I spun – _Capricorn?_ Sure enough, charging at me from behind is my Uncle – the only Spirit I have ever truly felt at peace with. I knew, logically, that he was doing this for my sake; but the sting of betrayal _hurt,_ all the same.

Erza's Flame Sword ignited, and with a series of expert slashes, my clones were defeated. I didn't have the magic left to create more, and regretfully dismissed Lupus.

I was surrounded – immortal Spirit on one side, flaming S-Class Mage on the other.

"What is wrong with her, Spirit?" Erza asked, and I bit my lip. I didn't have the strength to force my Uncle's Gate closed.

"She has been enslaved to a Vampire known as the Crimson Fang. She has shielded me against forcing my own Gate open; I have only been able to come here because you have weakened her. If we can knock her unconscious, I can leave and bring back reinforce-"

He was cut off by the aristocratic clip of my Mistress' voice. I swallowed; I had failed her, and was unable to subdue my opponent. I couldn't even subdue my own Spirits.

Damn it.

_"That won't be necessary."_

* * *

**A/N: (1) The Cavern within the Scar is taken from my other story, _The Fallen Legion._**

**One more chapter in this small arc, then we have a prep-chap for Phantom Lord. That arc will be _very, very _different from it's Canon counterpart.**


End file.
